The Sixers’ Matisse Thybulle is working his magic as a thief | Off the Dribble

Good morning, Sixers fans. The team is off to a roaring start, Joel Embiid is earning MVP fanfare, and the Sixers will look to sweep their two-game series with the Boston Celtics on Friday.

Embiid’s play has generated much of the talk, but we interrupt his MVP campaign to mention someone who has quietly picked up his game as his minutes have increased: Matisse Thybulle. The second-year guard began the season out of the rotation, but has since earned critical minutes, not surprisingly because of his defense.

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When the Sixers opened the season with a 113-107 win over the visiting Washington Wizards, Thybulle played just 17 seconds. He played 6 minutes and 52 seconds and 8:14, respectively, in his next two games.

He then started to get more time before having to miss three games because of contact tracing/health and safety protocols. In three games since returning, he has been at his defensive best. Thybulle has averaged 3.0 steals and 1.3 blocks in 19.3 minutes. He had four steals Wednesday in a 117-109 win over the Celtics.

For the season, he is averaging 1.3 steals in 14.3 minutes.

Entering Thursday’s games, Thybulle was second in the NBA in steals per 100 possessions with 4.4, according to basketball-reference.com. (Former Sixer T.J. McConnell, now with the Indiana Pacers, was first.) Thybulle was also 22nd in the NBA in blocked shots per 100 possessions with 2.5.

Thybulle has contributed more than steals and blocks, though. Wednesday, Thybulle came off the bench to face what had been a hot Kemba Walker. According to NBA.com stats, Walker shot just 1-for-5 in the head-to-head matchup against Thybulle, including 1-for-3 from three-point range.

It will be interesting if the return of Seth Curry will impact Thybulle’s minutes dramatically or at all. Curry is listed as probable for Friday’s game vs. Boston. He has missed the last seven games, the last six after testing positive for COVID-19.

Thybulle has struggled on offense, averaging 2.8 points and shooting 25.9% from three-point range. His defense has earned him his minutes.

Many people were awarding the Brooklyn Nets the Eastern Conference title after they acquired James Harden from Houston in a four-team blockbuster. The Nets could very well win it, but in the first game that Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving played together, they lost, 147-135, in double overtime at Cleveland on Wednesday.

This was Harden’s third game with the Nets, but the first with Irving, who returned after missing seven games for personal reasons.

Harden played 50:30. Durant, after missing last season with a torn Achilles tendon, played 50:09, and Irving played 48:22. Granted, it was a double-overtime game, but those are a lot of minutes.

Cleveland shot 20-for-40 from three-point range, and Collin Sexton scored a game-high 42 points. Durant led the Nets with 38 points. Irving totaled 37, and Harden had 21.

Friday: Boston Celtics at Sixers, 7:30 p.m., Wells Fargo Center, ESPN/NBC Sports Philadelphia

Saturday: Sixers at Detroit Pistons, 8 p.m., Little Caesars Arena, NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus

Monday: Sixers at Detroit Pistons, 7 p.m., Little Caesars Arena, NBC Sports Philadelphia

Wednesday: Los Angeles Lakers at Sixers, 7:30 p.m., Wells Fargo Center, ESPN

Jan 29: Sixers at Minnesota Timberwolves, 8 p.m., Target Center, NBC Sports Philadelphia

Question: Can Joel Embiid win MVP if he continues to miss games because of injuries and load management? — DocMello267 (@melloMD90) on Twitter

Answer: Thanks for the question, Doc. The days of an MVP having to play nearly 82 games — or this season, 72 — are gone.

Let’s look at some of the recent MVPs. Giannis Antetokounmpo was the MVP the last two years and he missed 10 games each season. Harden was the 2017-18 MVP and he also missed 10 games. So even in a 72-game schedule, if Embiid misses 10-12 games, that should not hurt his candidacy.

If he misses more than that, some voters might use it against him, although if he keeps putting up performances like he did Wednesday (42 points, 10 rebounds), he will stay in contention, even if he misses 15 of the 72 games.