Sixers Beat Cavs, Enter All-Star Break | Postgame with Embiid, Maxey, Melton

get that win last night? They were able to stop Cleveland's seven game winning shriek in the process, one eighteen, one twelve for their fourth straight win, meaning the Sixers a good way to go into the break. A really strong first half, another really strong shooting performance from this Sixers team. They came out really hot out of the gates, especially from three. James Harden had a big first quarter.

Joel Embiid hit a very impressive milestone. So they end up, you know, holding on against one of the other top contenders in the East, and it was a good way to go into the break. And a lot happened early in the game. Joel Embied becomes the fastest Sixer to ever reach the ten thousand career point threshold. He surpassed Alan Iverson for the fastest to do. So we'll hear from Joel about hitting that milestone in just a couple of minutes. But as always, let's start with some notables

from the box score. If you guys hear anything that you want us to dive into as I go through this, please submit again if you're listening live, a comment or a DM, and we'll make sure to taylor the conversation accordingly. So quickly through the box score, Joel Embied leads the way once again. He continues to be one of the league's leading scorers. Twenty nine points, fourteen rebounds, five assists,

two steals and a block. He shot eleven for twelve, but from the free throw line nine for twenty one overall in thirty nine minutes of play. Like we said, all five starters finished in double figures plus Tyrese Maxie James Harden nineteen points, four rebounds, twelve assists, a steel and a block. D'y Anthony Melton seventeen points, two rebounds,

four assists. He shot very well four for eight overall, seven for seven from the line, more free throws than usual for Dy Anthony Melton last night, and some big ones down the stretch when it got close. Thirteen points for Tobias Harris plus two rebounds and two steals, ten points for PJ Tucker plus three rebounds and a steel. PJ and to Bias both very efficient from the field. PJ four for five, to Bias five for eight. To Bias shot three for four from deep. PJ shot two

for two from deep. Tyrese Maxie LEDs a bench once again, sixteen points, two rebounds, two assists. He shot six for twelve from the field, two for four from three in his twenty eight minutes of play. A good night for the team, especially in the first half. Again, got a little closer than they wanted it too in the second half of Matt Murphy. When you look at the team stats,

what sort of stands out to you on this one? Well, quickly, on the milestone for Joel Embiid hitting ten thousand points, you mentioned he did so faster than Allen iverson the fastest sixer of all time to do so. To reach ten thousand, it was three hundred and seventy three games four Mbid three hundred and seventy eight for iverson. Surprisingly

when it comes to the box score. And by the way, if you want to let us know what your favorite moment of the sixer season prior to the All Star break was, please send us a tweet, click on the purple icon the chat box on the bottom right, send us a DM by clicking on our icons and messaging us directly, and we'll read some of those. But as do that as we continue to break down the box

score and move along here with our reaction. But surprisingly, Lauren, my box score takeaway is going to be an individual rather than a team stat. I think it is the seventeen points for de Anthony Melton to get back on track heading into the break. He it was a lot of games before the break, and that's something that not only Doc Rivers has talked about, but the players and players from other teams, coaches from other teams playing not just half of your season, but really a lot of

your season before getting a few days off. And with Melton, he has had such strong stretches this year, but he's also had tough defensive assignments throughout the year. So for him to come away feeling good about his offense as well and hit some clutch free throws down the stretch. That is sort of a way that I can get around not picking a team stat that by highlighting the free throw shooting, and he definitely contributed to that. They

only missed two as a team twenty seven. For twenty nine, he made all seven of his like we talked about, and they were big ones down the stretch to put the finishing touches on it. So I come away looking at d' anthony Melton on the box score and feeling good about that. We can hear from D'Anthony Melton himself. In the morning, I talked to Tyrese Maxie in our

Courtside comparison series present it by Nerd Wallet. Tyrese said about the teams starting one and four this season, again as we sort of do a little retrospective on the first chunk of the regular season, Tyrese in the morning said, I'm proud. I always talk about how we started out one and four and everybody was writing us off. We stayed resilient, we stuck together, and now we're here. Then, sure enough they get the victory last night to rise

to thirty eight wins on the season. After that one and four start, d' anthony Melton discussed it coming off the court, So let's hear from d' anthony d' anthony Melton. You guys letting get a little closer than you wanted it too. But you've talked all season about wanting to figure out ways to win. How did you guys figured it out down the stretch tonight? We just executed. I think we got stops late. We hear free though, So

I think that's the biggest thing. You know, the team like that, every quick explosive and yeah, so he's got to keep, you know, maintaining with them. Last game ahead of the All Star break. You guys started this season one and four. You've talked about it a lot. You go into the break thirty eight and nineteen. What is working for you guys and how much have you made over these last couple of months. Man, we're just playing together.

I think we realize what kind of team we have, you know, guys, coaches, staff and stuff like that, and we just utilized in it. We got a lot of guys that can killed people in a lot of different ways. So we just got to keep fighting and keep going and play defense. So ellenbiad led the way sort of across the board. For you guys tonight, it's your first season with him. What's it like to be Joellenbiad's teammate

when he plays this way? It's just so dominant. I mean, I don't think anybody in the league can really, you know, stop him. All I can do is hope to contain him sending double teams to triple a team. So you know, he's getting open shots for guys like me, Joyce tires everybody really, so he's just you know, he's been a team player. Anthony, thank you, Go get some rest. Thank you. Doc Rivers was funny last night after the game, Matt talking about how they got to win. He said it

was really good when the clock ran out. He said that he felt the All Star breaks sort of started a little bit for his team at halftime after that excellent first half, and guys liked Anthony Melton have certainly earned the right to a few days off their feet. Matt, I know we're going to hear from Tyrese, from Joel, but thoughts on Dy, Anthony or anyone else on this box score before we hear from those guys. I had mentioned Harden earlier his first quarter was actually eight points

and eight assists. It seems like Cleveland has been prone to some slow starts in there, not only the last game against the Sixers in Philadelphia, but even a couple more leading into the All Star breaks. So the Sixers were able to come out and build up enough of a lead to maintain and they shot seven for eight in the first quarter. Yeah, I was gonna say, some options, Lauren, that we can consider throughout for first half moments. We've talked a lot about Joel's fifty point games against Utah

November Charlotte in December. The Utah statline was crazy and worth repeating. Fifty nine points, eleven rebounds, eight assists, seven block shots, some highlight worthy defensive plays to save that game, like the celebrations he had in those moments with his son Arthur, and then the Denver game more recently, almost fifty in a really big spotlight forty seven points, eighteen rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks, a big time dagger late in that game, and the moment of James

Harden jumping on mbads back. Some of those things stick with me. I know. We did get a message from Mary saying that her favorite moment was Shake's half court shot at the Knicks on Christmas Day, which for an individual play has to rank up there. But just some options as we continue to move along, not totally getting off of the Cleveland game, but just those thoughts going through my head. And if anyone else wants to chime in, please do Yeah, Matt, I can go ahead and give

mine Marcus. Marcus and I share the same, the same memorable moment from the first chunk of the season. He said, speaking of starting one in four, how about Tyrese Maxie to get the second win when he scored like crazy in Toronto. That's one that I've talked about this season already, but I'll go ahead and recycle it and echo Marcus's thoughts. That one, of course, was back in October. We've heard it a lot. They started one and four in order

to get to two and four. It took a heck of a performance from Tyrese Maxie on a career night in Toronto. Was the second of two games in Toronto, and Tyrese finished with a whopping forty four points eight rebounds. Eight rebounds stands out in that line. I don't know if I had fully processed that one before forty four points, eight rebounds, four assists, and a steal. He shot fifteen

for twenty on the night. He made nine threes and nine for twelve from three, and of course made his first seven and five for six from the free throw line in forty minutes of play. And in hindsight, tyres has talked about that game as really an opportunity for him to say, you know what, the team really needs me here, No Joel that night, the team needs me to help figure out how to start getting some wins. And cool to see a then twenty one year old figure it out for his crew. So Marcus thinks for

the answer, we're going to go through some more. But on the topic of both Joel and Tyrese, Matt, I think let's just hear from the two of them right now. So here's Joel and Tyrese. Last night. For some context, Tyrese was doing media at his locker. The guys sort of can choose their own adventure after games when asked to speak to the media. Sometimes they come to the podium,

sometimes they speak at their locker. Last night a celebratory environment form not only winning the game but getting to the All Star Break, Tyrese was going to talk to the media at his locker. Joel came over in the Big Energy Chain, which of course is won by the sixer that does the best job during the postgame lift. Joel last night was the postgame lift champ, so he came over in the Big Energy Chain, plopped himself down

next to Tyrese, and they did media together. So I'll let you guys listen to the two of them going back and forth. There's a funny moment where they sort of do impressions of each other. If it's confusing at all, we can we can explain it afterwards, but I think it's going to speak for itself. Take a listen to Joel and Tyrese together postgame. Uh, you never know, just like you said, you know, as a game of once,

that should pretty good team over there. Um. You know that going game, you know, a lot of teams troubles um, you know, and that second half of the season then the playoffs. Obviously we knew that we're gonna make of one. It was all about you know, uh, you know, we sustaining then you know how we were gonna stop him. Man. Uh we made uh, we got the stops one we needed them so well. In the first half of the season, Terrise had his first injury as a pro, He came back,

he learned to play multiple roles. You've been his sort of biggest cheerleader since day one. So what do you make of the way he's battled through adversity this season? H Okay, that's a good answer question. No, But I mean that was that was his first time, you know,

going through an injury. Uh, for someone that had been through a few, um, usual shows our tough is um not just you know, physically, but mentally to be able to come back and lose your spot in the starting line up and you know, having to come up the bench and adjust, um. You know, he just shows you that he's in for the right reasons, which used to win. And that's what we need about to be on the same page, no matter what was, you know, playing or not or we just need that about to be bought

in praise. Joel is playing in his third consecutive MVP caliber season. What's it been like to share all three of those with him? Call? Nah? Uh? Joel is going Joe, Well, I mean it's funny to y'a all the time. I try to take it for granted because some of the things that he does on the basketball court or you know, I've never seen before. And for him to do it at his size and his speed and do it at the high level that he does that every single night. Um,

it's remarkable and we're gonna need him. And like he said, you know when the keys to this year is just staying healthy him everybody. You know, if you can stay healthy, I feel like this team has a really good chance in skys limit. Follow up on the milestone, Joel, how how impressive do you think it is that you you edged Ai who was obviously a ball dominant garden scorer. Um, it's great, Um, you know, just like you said, Um,

I'm extremely lucky. Um. But then again, I put in a lot of water to be, you know, and to be able to put myself in those positions no matter what it is on the floor, to be able to make something happen. Uh, streaming lucky. But then again I also put in the war so I'm just playing. Uh he contributes to winning. Uh, you know, you know, just playing. It doesn't matter how much you score, you know, as long as you win, that's what matters is giving you

a lot some good minutes off the bench. It's what do you make of his play for you guys, I mean, he's doing what we need him to do. Um, you know, playing hard, you know, being actively offensively and defensively, offensively, setting screens, getting a supper sis fancy. We sure to be as as as aggressive as possible. Uh, obviously got a you know, stop falling, stop being a hacker. But but no, but he's been you can see the last

few games. He's one of the reasons why you know, we've been able to you know, get this lease on and keep them. Joel very complimentary there of both of his teammates from that twenty twenty draft class in Tyrese Maxie and Paul Reid, who of course gave some big minutes a last night, Matt. Any any thoughts on that little exchange. Uh, Tyrese not caring in Joel voice, it

was funny. I mean, to further paint the picture, there were like thirty people gathered around Joel, Embiid and James are in Tyrese Maxie at the lockers, in the locker room. Sometimes they're at the podium like like you said, and then throughout because most of the are a lot of

the questions the end, we're geared towards and bad. Maxie was kind of regretting and vocally expressing that he it was a bad idea to do a combined media session with MBID because then he got, you know, caught up in it for maybe longer than it would have been

if they were going individually. But I wanted to add that it seemed like in the arena when they showed when they made the announcement about Joel hitting ten thousand points that during timeouts the team is locked in on what the coaches are saying, but sometimes they pay a little extra attention to those types of announcements. And even the staff everyone was looking at the video board and congratulating MBAID, and they looked to be locked in on

that like it was. Obviously it's an impressive thing to reach, and I think everybody stopped for a minute and really took in what that meant to do to hit ten thousand in five fewer games than Al and I person and really what Joe ell Embiad has done to this point in his career, and he's still got a lot of career to go. But it was something where everyone seemed to really soak it in. I'm sure you felt

kind of the same way. Yeah, it was. It was awesome, and it always cool to see the teammates embracing one another. There's been no shortage of that all season long with this crew. Looking ahead, Matt Murphy is going to be on the ground at All Star this weekend, and I know we've talked to talk about Joe all embead on this episode already, but I want to hear a little bit about Mac McClung. Matt Murphy of course wrote an awesome feature on sixers dot com about Mac McClung, the

Sixers new two way signee. He will also be participating, well, he'll be participating in a variety of events this weekend, but headlined of course by the dump contest. Matt, what can you tell the squad about Mac McClung. I've got some Mac McClung notes for sure. Before I get to them, I did want to mention a question from b Walds

who said thoughts on Pj's defensive work. And I've mentioned the Nuggets game already that Joel Embiid, you know, was the standout player and that one against Yoki and the Nuggets in that afternoon game to win seven straight at the time. But PJ. Tucker and the adjustment that the coaching staff made and him guarding Yokich on some critical plays, especially in the second half. That's the game I think you point to from the first half with PJ. Tucker

and the work that he's done defensively. And then throughout the season we have heard his teammates and his coaches and his head coach, Doc Rivers talk about just his voice and how important it is to this defense. There's been some micd up clips, there's been all this stuff out there. He is really just like the captain of this defense, and he knows where everyone should be and he tells them and I think it's maybe something that

can't be talked about enough. But yes, All Star Weekend will not only feature obviously Joel Embiad was voted in. James Harden unfortunately was not voted in as a starter or reserve. The rosters kind of still in flux, but at this point as we talk on Thursday morning, but it will also feature a new sixer who is Mac McClung. He was signed to a two way deal recently and he was playing with the Bluecoats all season. It's his

second professional season. He's a Gate City, a proud Gate City, Virginia native, and he's been having a big time season for the Bluecoats. Their season was split between the Showcase Cup. If anyone has any specific questions about Mac or what I've seen, please click on my icon and send me a message or a tweet. But the G League season being the Showcase Cup and the regular season, his three point shooting is probably the thing that stands out to

me the most. Since the regular season has started, he's thirty nine for seventy eight in eighteen games, eighteen regular season games, fifty percent from three point range. He's known as a big time scorer. He's known as someone with highlight, real dunks, and he's been on people's radar because of YouTube and in these mixtapes that have been out there since he was a high school player. But now the

shooting is there. He is just flat out someone who's going to hustle and try to help the Bluecoats win games. They almost scored over the weekend, or between Saturday and Monday as we're talking now, they almost scored three hundred points in two wins, and they're up like twenty points late in the second win and he dove on the sideline to save the ball with four minutes left in the game, up by twenty. They scored two hundred and

ninety six points in these two games, absolutely dominated. Absolutely did not have to dive and save a ball. But I think when he puts that Sixers uniform on and he gets a chance to make his debut in front of Sixers fans, they're going to see that type of grit and determination from Mac McClung. And first we'll see it on the national stage that is NBA All Star Weekend.

He's got an event every day. He's got the Rising Stars Game on Friday night, he's got the Dunk Contest on Saturday night, and the G League All Star Game also known as the Next Up Game on Sunday afternoon. So you'll see a lot of Mac McClung. He has a history of dunk contests. He actually went back and forth as a high school player against Kevin Porter junior now of the Houston Rockets, and they did two or three dunk contests where they were finalists and McClung won

two out of his three before even entering college. And there's a couple of notable things he did in high school that I want to get to as well. But I feel like I went pretty deep there on McClung. You asked for it, Lauren, you gave me the runway. I will sort and see if anyone has any additional questions before getting to those records he broke in high school. But he's a really fun player. He's six foot two and he'll be sporting a Sixers jersey at these events,

the dunk contest, all of it. He's absolutely going to put on a show. He does it every game in layup lines and with his in game dunks. But it will be good to see him. Congratulations to him the twenty ninth G League call up of the season. So far, he's played two NBA games, one for the Bulls one for the Lakers last year. Now it's about trying to stick. These guys fight through the grind of the G League

and are trying to stay on NBA teams. And it's not a ten day contract for him, it's a two way contract, so we'll see if he can indeed stick in the NBA. That's what everyone's goal is. Yeah, Matt, I don't have questions, and so as we begin to wrap this one up, if you want to get some last questions in at the buzzer, we are happy to answer them. But I'd love to hear your last takes on Mac any other background you want to give us those high school records again, if you guys aren't aware.

Matt is also the voice of the Delaware Bluecoats, so for all those G League call ups he mentioned the twenty nine this season thus far, he's one of the foremost experts in the field, So cool to hear him talk about his guy Mac and looking forward to seeing your coverage of him in Salt Lake City this week. Shout out to Jaden's Springer as well, because it hasn't been the lineup all year in Delaware, but the last

stretch of games the Bluecoats are playing really well. Their second in the East six or third in the East at the NBA level, so both teams having success. But Springer and McClung, that duo has been amazing lately, and Springer had a thirty point game, a twenty two point game on Saturday and Monday, and that the two things I wanted to add about McClung are sixers related as well. Not only did he break in high school. People know this stuff, but it sometimes gets confused in the shuffle.

He's not the all time leader in Virginia state history scoring anymore for his career, but he did break at the time Alan Iverson's Virginia single season scoring record as a senior. So AI had the record when McClung was a senior at Gate City. He scored one thousand, one hundred and fifty three points to surpass Allen Iverson. So like MBIID doing so to ten thousand points in a sixers uniform, mac McClung surpassed Iverson for the sing will

season record in Virginia state high school history. As a senior and then former sixer JJ Reddick had scored forty three points in the state championship in Virginia in two thousand and two, and McClung scored forty seven to claim that record to help his high school to the state championship. So beating an Iverson record, beating a JJ Reddick record, and now a sixer himself. That's part of the very interesting mc McClung story and storylines. Thanks for sharing, Matt,

we appreciate you. I saw a couple last comments, A lot of love for Joel Embiid's fifty nine point performance. Thank you to Dean Dean O four O four for the fifty nine point performance. Loved seeing Joel jump on Joel's or sorry rather, Tyrese jump on Joel's back in their new uniforms. That of course was the first night, right Matt, of this year's City edition. Brotherly love uniform, fifty nine point performance from Joel Embiid, and I think

that for me, will about do it? Ahead of the All Star Break, The Sixers head into the break thirty eight and nineteen. They'll be back next week as they host the Memphis Grizzlies. The month of March is going to be a tough one, Lots and lots of road games for the squad in the month of March. They've already talked about making sure that they get rest now

to be able to perform. Then, Matt Murphy, I'm gonna let you have the last word if you want to give any last thoughts on the All Star Game and break ahead and otherwise, guys, thanks as always for listening. To spaces with us for listening on the seventy Sixers Insiders podcast network. We've got some exciting things to come for you guys. We have a one on one or two on one rather with Jayleen McDaniels in that seventy

Sixers Insiders feed right now. So if you're looking for Sixers content as you head into your weekend, or you're all Star breaks, if you're in the industry, you go check that one out. Matt and I had a great time doing it, and Matt, I will let you shut this one down absolutely. I really enjoyed our conversation with Jayalen McDaniels on the seventy Sixers Insiders podcast feed. Please

check that one out. He had some good stuff about what was like to check in for the first time in front of the home crowd his second game when he made his home debut. I really liked that part. And then he told an interesting story at the very end about George Niang and meeting George Niang a few years back before they would ever become teammates in Philadelphia,

So be on the lookout for that one. By the way, my pick for favorite moment of the first part of the season prior to the All Star Break is going to be the moment when embiad hit the shot against Denver, the time out was called and Harden jumped on his back. The fifty point performances I think I've picked before for something similar, so going with the more recent one end of January in that showdown against the Denver Nuggets. But

that will do it for us again. A sit down about twenty minutes sit down with Jalen McDaniels available on the seventy six Ers Insiders podcast feed, just like these postgame reactions are as well, So whever you get your podcast, just search seventy Sixers Insiders, click on the little plus sign wherever it might be, and follow the feed and you'll get those straight to your phones. So thanks everybody for tagging along with us. As always, Lauren Rosen, thank

you to you everyone. Enjoy the break. I will be in Salt Lake City with the covering the Sixers at All Star weekends, so be on the lookout for some stuff there as well. But we appreciate this support. The Sixers at the break their spot in the standings, I said, third place, the record thirty eight wins, nineteen losses, They head into the break on a four game winning streak after the win over Cleveland. Thanks, everybody, will do it again soon. Enjoy the All Star Break see ye