Following their big win over the Bulls last night the Sixers traveled to Detroit to begin a run of 4 straight games against teams with losing records, with a match up against the Pistons. If you look at the offensive side of the stat sheet for this one you'd think the Sixers won easily. 7 Sixers scored in double figures, as Evan Turner's 19, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists led the way. Meanwhile, Elton Brand put up 17 and 14 rebounds, Jrue Holiday posted 15 and 12 assists, Jodie Meeks drilled 2 treys and wound up with 11, and off the bench along with Turner, Lou Williams chipped in with 14, and 5 assists, and Mo Speights contributed 10 and 7 rebounds. Unfortunately as good their O was the D, still without Andre Iguodala, was that bad. It was particularly bad from beyond the arc where Detroit shot 53%. One other area where the Sixers had problems was the free throw line where they really killed themselves by shooting 69%. One or two more made free throws and things might have different here.
The Sixers really lit it up early as they jumped out to a 34-30 lead through 1 quarter of play. The Sixers maintained their 4 point lead after a tough 2nd quarter. After an equally rough 3rd quarter the Sixers remained ahead by 3 heading into the 4th quarter. They stayed ahead throughout 4th quarter, even pulling ahead by 5 at one point, but they just couldn't put the Pistons away. Finally it got down to the final 6 seconds with the Sixers up 3 and Lou at the line. Sadly he missed two free throws and Austin Daye somehow slipped open to hit a game tying trey with 4 seconds left. The Sixers followed with a timeout but couldn't get off a shot before the end of regulation. In overtime the Sixers, playing on back to back nights, seemed to run out of gas. However, just when all hope seemed lost, with the Sixers down 110-103 and only 22 seconds left, they nearly rallied back. Back to back treys by Turner and Meeks and 2 missed free throws by Tayshaun Prince suddenly cut the lead 110-109. After Rodney Stuckey finally did hit a couple at the line, Meeks missed a trey at the buzzer and the dropped another heartbreaker on the road, 112-109.
Saturday, January 08, 2011
FLYERS NEWS
The followed an easy win over the Devils at New Jersey on Friday with a more typical boring win over Devils this afternoon in Philly. The Flyers certainly didn't play their best in this contest but they did more than enough against the struggling Devils. They did allow 35 shots on goal, but Brian Boucher was brilliant in stopping 34 of them. The Orange and Black also did a good job penalty killing, holding New Jersey scoreless on 4 power plays, while going 1 for 6 on their power plays themselves. Against the disgrace that has become the New Jersey Devils, that little bit of an effort was enough to come out on top.
It was all Flyers on early on Jeff Carter setup James Van Reimsdyk for a 1-0 lead 8 minutes into the contest. Just 6 minutes after that Claude Giroux and Kimmo Timonen teamed up to setup Danny Briere for a power play goal to make it 2-0. That was last straw for Johan Hedberg who was promptly pulled in favor of Marty Brodeur. Brodeur kept the Flyers scoreless the rest of the way, but the Devils could manage only Andy Greene's unassisted tally halfway through the 2nd period. The Brilliant play of Boucher shut them down from there and preserved the 2-1 win. With the win the Flyers move to 57 points overall and ascend back to the top of the Eastern conference and the Atlantic division.
It was all Flyers on early on Jeff Carter setup James Van Reimsdyk for a 1-0 lead 8 minutes into the contest. Just 6 minutes after that Claude Giroux and Kimmo Timonen teamed up to setup Danny Briere for a power play goal to make it 2-0. That was last straw for Johan Hedberg who was promptly pulled in favor of Marty Brodeur. Brodeur kept the Flyers scoreless the rest of the way, but the Devils could manage only Andy Greene's unassisted tally halfway through the 2nd period. The Brilliant play of Boucher shut them down from there and preserved the 2-1 win. With the win the Flyers move to 57 points overall and ascend back to the top of the Eastern conference and the Atlantic division.
Friday, January 07, 2011
SIXERS NEWS
Losing to a team by 45 points doesn't exactly inspire the confidence that you can beat them the next time they're on schedule. Yet, the Sixer's actually believed they could when the Chicago Bulls came to the Wells Fargo center tonight and boy did they. For the 2nd straight night they shot over 50% from the field, as Jodie Meeks found his stroke again, at least for one night, drilling 4 threes and dropping a Sixer high 24. Meanwhile, Jrue Holiday continued to light it up with 19 and 6 assists, Elton Brand had 11 and 8 rebounds, Andres Nocioni had 11, and Lou Williams had another big 20 points off the bench. Once again the Sixer D wasn't great, as Chicago shot over 50% also, but it was effective, racking up 8 steals and 3 blocks, while forcing 15 turnovers. Ultimately, Derick Rose, Carlos Boozer, and Luol Deng all got theirs, with 27, 31, and 22 respectively, but they were the only Bulls who did. No other Bull scored over 7 points, and that was really the difference.
Both teams were on fire in the first half as they combined for 110 points. Chicago was just a touch better, as they took a 56-54 lead into the half. The Sixers then exploded in the 3rd quarter, outscoring Chicago 32-18 as Meeks got hot. So by the 4th quarter the Sixers led by 12 and appeared on their way to victory. However, like the Sixers, Chicago is a team that does not quit and they didn't tonight. In fact they got the Sixers to essentially bend under the pressure of the final minutes, as they rallied to within 3, with 38 seconds left. The Sixers then missed their next shot, but the former Bull, Andres Nociono, who broke his finger in the first half, came up with the huge rebound. He then sunk two free throws and that finally broke the Chicago momentum. Another Nocioni free throw and a couple Chicago misses later, and the Sixers had held on for a confidence building 105-99 win. With the win they move 15-21 overall and stay 8th in the Eastern conference. With an easy schedule coming up they now have the opportunity to reel off several wins in a row and should stay in 8th for a while. Go Sixers!
Both teams were on fire in the first half as they combined for 110 points. Chicago was just a touch better, as they took a 56-54 lead into the half. The Sixers then exploded in the 3rd quarter, outscoring Chicago 32-18 as Meeks got hot. So by the 4th quarter the Sixers led by 12 and appeared on their way to victory. However, like the Sixers, Chicago is a team that does not quit and they didn't tonight. In fact they got the Sixers to essentially bend under the pressure of the final minutes, as they rallied to within 3, with 38 seconds left. The Sixers then missed their next shot, but the former Bull, Andres Nociono, who broke his finger in the first half, came up with the huge rebound. He then sunk two free throws and that finally broke the Chicago momentum. Another Nocioni free throw and a couple Chicago misses later, and the Sixers had held on for a confidence building 105-99 win. With the win they move 15-21 overall and stay 8th in the Eastern conference. With an easy schedule coming up they now have the opportunity to reel off several wins in a row and should stay in 8th for a while. Go Sixers!
Thursday, January 06, 2011
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers finally finished off their 5 game post holiday road trip tonight in New Jersey. After going 2-2 on the west coast portion of the trip, the Flyers needed this one to finish the trip above water. The Devils have really struggled all season and tonight wasn't much different. Scott Hartnell and Danny Briere each had 2 goals, while Ville Leino racked up 3 assists, and Matt Carle had 2 assists as well, to pace the Flyer offense. Defensively, the Orange and Black were pretty good as well, holding the Devils to just 20 shots on goal and 1 power play which they failed to score on.
Shockingly, New Jersey actually had the early 1-0 lead after the 1st period. It was still 1-0 with a little over 4 minutes left in the 2nd period when Carle and Leino teamed up to setup Hartnell to tie it up at 1. A couple minutes later New Jersey went up 2-1, before Leino teamed up with Kimmo Timonen to setup Hartnell again for the 2-2 tie. Early in the 3rd period Leino and Carle teamed up, this time to setup Briere, to put the Flyers up 3-2. Later with about 9 and a half minutes to play Briere scored unassisted for a 4-2 and that was about all she wrote. The Flyer defense and Brian Boucher, who saved 18 of 20, held off the Devils from there for the 4-2 win.
Shockingly, New Jersey actually had the early 1-0 lead after the 1st period. It was still 1-0 with a little over 4 minutes left in the 2nd period when Carle and Leino teamed up to setup Hartnell to tie it up at 1. A couple minutes later New Jersey went up 2-1, before Leino teamed up with Kimmo Timonen to setup Hartnell again for the 2-2 tie. Early in the 3rd period Leino and Carle teamed up, this time to setup Briere, to put the Flyers up 3-2. Later with about 9 and a half minutes to play Briere scored unassisted for a 4-2 and that was about all she wrote. The Flyer defense and Brian Boucher, who saved 18 of 20, held off the Devils from there for the 4-2 win.
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils had a busy day today. They finalized their deal with J.C Romero for 1 year and $1.35 million. Meanwhile, they also added 7 more players to their spring training roster, pitcher Brian Bass, infielder Robb Quinlan, infielder-outfielder Delwyn Young, catchers Tuffy Gosewich and Joel Naughton, and relief pitchers Micheal Schwimer and Micheal Stutes.
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
SIXERS NEWS
After just one day of rest following a grueling 8 game road trip, thanks again NBA scheduling people, the Sixers returned the court tonight at the Wells Fargo center. Fortunately, the Washington Wizards, the only NBA team that hasn't won a road game yet this season, were the visitors. Still, the last two meetings between these teams ended in heartbreak for the Sixers, so ,tired or not, they could not afford to take this one lightly and they didn't. With revenge on his mind, Jrue Holiday lit up the Wizards with 26 and 9 assists. Meanwhile, Elton Brand put up 17 and 6 rebounds, Andres Nocioni had 10 and 10 rebounds, and off the bench Lou Williams pumped in 26 of his own and Thad Young chipped in with 11. The Sixers were impressive overall as well, shooting 56% from the field, and 44% from beyond the arc. Defensively, the Sixers weren't great but they did more than enough against the lowly Wizards, out rebounding them 40-35 and forcing 12 turnovers.
The Sixers came out firing, taking a 3 point lead after a quarter of play. Washington bounced back in the 2nd quarter and actually took a 2 point lead into the half. The Sixers heated up again in the 3rd quarter as they rallied back ahead by 1. Finally in the 4th quarter, despite the exhaustion they must have been feeling, the Sixers put together one final push, outscoring the Wizards 33-22, and turning their 1 point lead into an easy 12 point win, 109-97. With the win the Sixers go to 14-21 overall and into 8th in the Eastern conference.
The Sixers came out firing, taking a 3 point lead after a quarter of play. Washington bounced back in the 2nd quarter and actually took a 2 point lead into the half. The Sixers heated up again in the 3rd quarter as they rallied back ahead by 1. Finally in the 4th quarter, despite the exhaustion they must have been feeling, the Sixers put together one final push, outscoring the Wizards 33-22, and turning their 1 point lead into an easy 12 point win, 109-97. With the win the Sixers go to 14-21 overall and into 8th in the Eastern conference.
EAGLES NEWS
The Eagles have signed RB Martell Mallet to their practice squad to replace Joique Bell who was signed away by the desperate Saints, following injuries to Chris Ivory and Pierre Thomas.
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
Monday, January 03, 2011
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers finally finished off their long road trip in New Orleans tonight for a matchup with the Hornets. The last time these two teams met, the Hornets were god awful from the field and the Sixers took advantage to blow them out. Unfortunately things were a little different in this one. New Orleans was not quite as bad from the field, shooting about 45%, while tired Sixers, playing on back to back nights, struggled mightily at just 34% from the field and 21% from beyond the arc. It's shame too because if they had been just a little fresher, they probably would have won. That would have been mostly thanks to their defense which limited CP3 to just 15 points, and forced 11 Hornets turnovers, while losing the ball just 8 times themselves. They even out rebounded the Hornets, 44-41, and that's with starting center Spencer Hawes out for the night. So their were definitely chances for the Sixers to win this one, they just didn't have enough left in the tank to take advantage.
Early on the Sixers actually shot well, as they raced ahead by as many 8 points in the 1st quarter, before needing Evan Turner to drill a long 3 at the buzzer to preserve a 3 point lead through 1. The Sixers started to go cold after that and were down 3 by halftime. They stayed cold in the 3rd quarter and by the 4th quarter the 3 point deficit had turned into a 10 point deficit. Still the Sixers did not give up. After falling behind by as many 14, they rallied back late in the 4th and pulled to within 3 with 2:45 left. Things stayed tight the rest of the way but the Sixers just couldn't get over the hump, before falling 84-77. Oh well, at least they finally get to go home now.
Early on the Sixers actually shot well, as they raced ahead by as many 8 points in the 1st quarter, before needing Evan Turner to drill a long 3 at the buzzer to preserve a 3 point lead through 1. The Sixers started to go cold after that and were down 3 by halftime. They stayed cold in the 3rd quarter and by the 4th quarter the 3 point deficit had turned into a 10 point deficit. Still the Sixers did not give up. After falling behind by as many 14, they rallied back late in the 4th and pulled to within 3 with 2:45 left. Things stayed tight the rest of the way but the Sixers just couldn't get over the hump, before falling 84-77. Oh well, at least they finally get to go home now.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers have placed Micheal Leighton on waivers. If he clears waivers he'll head back to the Phantoms for seasoning. In his only appearance thus far this season Leighton clearly looked shaky and rusty all at same time. The Flyers also really couldn't afford to continue on with 3 goalies on the roster. So ultimately this is probably a smart move by the Orange and Black.
Sunday, January 02, 2011
FLYERS NEWS
Considering their struggles on their current west coast trip, the last thing to be expected out of the Flyers was a win in Deroit, a place they where they hadn't won in 22 years. Tonight was different though. the Orange and Black finally woke up again on defense, holding the lethal Wings to just 27 shots on goal and just 1 of 3 on the power play. Equally as impressive, was the play of Brian Boucher who saved 25 of the 27 shots he faced to help the lead the Flyers to the win. Meanwhile, the Flyer's offense was a true team effort with goals by 3 different Flyers, and points by 9 different players, just sort of attack they put forth early in the season ,when no one could touch them and a very good sign moving forward.
Incredibly, despite all the talent on the ice, neither team scored in the first period. The 2nd period belonged to the Orange and Black. Only 51 seconds into the period, Mike Richards and Andreas Nodl setup James Van Reimsdyk for a 1-0 lead. Only 5 minutes after that Andrej Meszaros and Matt Carle to assist Dan Carcillo on his 1st goal in some time for a 2-0 lead. Finally with about 5 minutes left to play, Danny Briere and Sean O' donnell setup Scott Hartnell for a 3-0 lead. Detroit rallied back in the 3rd period as they things briefly began to unravel for the Flyers, but Boucher held firm through it all and just 5 saves later the Flyers had hung on for a big 3-2 win.
Incredibly, despite all the talent on the ice, neither team scored in the first period. The 2nd period belonged to the Orange and Black. Only 51 seconds into the period, Mike Richards and Andreas Nodl setup James Van Reimsdyk for a 1-0 lead. Only 5 minutes after that Andrej Meszaros and Matt Carle to assist Dan Carcillo on his 1st goal in some time for a 2-0 lead. Finally with about 5 minutes left to play, Danny Briere and Sean O' donnell setup Scott Hartnell for a 3-0 lead. Detroit rallied back in the 3rd period as they things briefly began to unravel for the Flyers, but Boucher held firm through it all and just 5 saves later the Flyers had hung on for a big 3-2 win.
EAGLES NEWS
With nothing to play for this afternoon the Eagles did the smart thing and rested their starters as they completed their regular season by hosting the Dallas Cowboys. Despite featuring their backups against the Cowboy's starters, it was the Eagles who actually seemed like the better team on the field for most of the evening. Unfortunately they just came up a little short at the end. Despite running for his life most of the game Kevin Kolb still managed to throw for 162 yards and a TD, but he was intercepted 3 times, which hurt. Meanwhile, Jerome Harrison rushed 21 times for 99 yards, and Chad Hall caught 6 of Kolb's 18 completions for 84 yards and a TD. Other than that the Eagle's offense consisted mostly of Kolb getting sacked or throwing the ball away in frustration. That happens a lot when you have backup tight ends and lineman trying to stop Demarcus Ware. The Eagles backup defense actually looked better in this one then their starting defense has looked recently. They allotted Dallas just 1 TD all day and held them to just 5 of 16 on 3rd down conversions. They were solid against the run and the pass and came within a minute and a half of carrying the Eagles to a win.
Early in the 2nd quarter Kolb connected with Hall from yards out for an early 7-0 lead. It looked for all intentions from there that the Birds would maintain their 7-0 lead at the half, as both teams struggled to move the ball on offense. Just when the Eagles looked poised to maybe extend their lead at the half Kolb was stripped by Ware who went 17 yards the other way to knot things up at 7. That remained the score into the 4th quarter as the two teams continued to struggle. Finally, early in the 4th the Birds got in field goal and David Akers drilled a 43 yard attempt to make it 10-7. Then about halfway though the period, following a long Kolb completion to Chad Hall, the Eagles settled on another field goal, this one just 22 yards out, to make it 13-7. It looked that might be enough as the Eagle's defense continued to swarm, but they ran out of gas at the end and with 55 seconds left in regulation, McGee found Jason Witten from 4 yards out to seal a 14-13 Cowboy win. If this game had mean something, it would have been a blowout win for the Birds, instead the loss drops them to 10-6 overall and they will now host the Green Bay Packers next week.
Early in the 2nd quarter Kolb connected with Hall from yards out for an early 7-0 lead. It looked for all intentions from there that the Birds would maintain their 7-0 lead at the half, as both teams struggled to move the ball on offense. Just when the Eagles looked poised to maybe extend their lead at the half Kolb was stripped by Ware who went 17 yards the other way to knot things up at 7. That remained the score into the 4th quarter as the two teams continued to struggle. Finally, early in the 4th the Birds got in field goal and David Akers drilled a 43 yard attempt to make it 10-7. Then about halfway though the period, following a long Kolb completion to Chad Hall, the Eagles settled on another field goal, this one just 22 yards out, to make it 13-7. It looked that might be enough as the Eagle's defense continued to swarm, but they ran out of gas at the end and with 55 seconds left in regulation, McGee found Jason Witten from 4 yards out to seal a 14-13 Cowboy win. If this game had mean something, it would have been a blowout win for the Birds, instead the loss drops them to 10-6 overall and they will now host the Green Bay Packers next week.
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