Injuries limit Rivers’ options in hacking Ben
PHILADELPHIA » With three regular starters injured and, thus, a truncated bench, Doc Rivers’ playbook Tuesday was short one page. There would not be any order for the Sixers to deliberately hack a particular Brooklyn Net with a history of freethrow ineffectiveness.
“You’re talking about Nick Claxton, right?” Rivers said, when the question was posed.
Claxton is a sub-40 percent foul shooter, so that could work on occasion. But Rivers was about to coach against Ben Simmons in the Wells Fargo Center for the first time since the postseason of 2021 when the former Sixer was repeatedly, deliberately sent to the line by the Atlanta Hawks … with horrifying results.
Though Rivers has never been known as a hack-a-player coach, he accepts the gamble as a change-ofpace gimmick that has become part of the NBA game.
“Have you seen some of my teams?” he said. “When I was with the Clippers, I had D.J. (DeAndre Jordan, a sub-50 percent foul shooter) and some other players, and they did it to us all the time. I haven’t necessarily had the opportunity to do it. But we have done it. It just has to be at the right time and the right place. So for us, in a game like tonight, it’s a little rougher when we only have 10 guys. Fouls are at a premium.”
Simmons entered the game having made 11 of 22 free throws this season. He would hit 3 of 6 on an 11-point return to Philly while the shorthanded Sixers laid a 115-106 surprise on the Nets.
The Sixers were without Joel Embiid, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey, all recovering from foot injuries. Tobias Harris, who had missed the previous two games with a sore left hip, did start, and did score 24 points. Other starters were Shake Milton, De’Anthony Melton, Montrezl Harrell and P.J. Tucker.
•••
In the trade that sent Simmons to Brooklyn and yielded them Harden, the Sixers lost Rivers’ son-in-law, Seth Curry.
“My grandkids were at my house today and I told them to make sure they wore Sixers gear,” Rivers said before the game. “They don’t know any better yet.”
The professional interaction between the Curry and Rivers families is not new. Rivers has coached and coached against his son, Austin Rivers, who is a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Curry’s brother, Steph Curry, is in the extended family. Doc’s son Spencer Rivers is a member of the Sixers’ skill development staff.
“Maybe one day you’ll look back and say, ‘Man, that’s really cool,’” the Sixers coach said. “You got to coach your son. You got to coach against your son-in-law. You got to coach against your son. Those are pretty cool moments. Very few people on Earth, in any sport, have had the opportunity to do that.”
•••
Not having left Philadelphia on the best of terms, Simmons was bracing for a predictable serenade.
“I know what’s coming,” he said. He also knew why.
“One thing about Philly fans: They’re incredible,” he said. They’re die-hard Philly. Everything Philly, whatever it is. I respect that about the city. It’s a sports town.”
•••
Rivers once was Nets coach Jacque Vaughn’s coach with the Orlando Magic. He is not surprised the former guard become an NBA head coach, replacing the recently fired Steve Nash.
“I’m very happy for him,” Rivers said. “Jacque was one of those guys that you just kind of knew. There’s certain guys where you say, ‘He’s going to be a coach.’ Jacque was definitely at the top of that list. I jokingly told him years ago — and I was a poor shooter — that the worse you shoot, the better coach you become. So, Jacque, you’re going to be a great coach.”
Vaughn has appreciated the years of Rivers’ counsel.
“In Orlando, I was able to see firsthand how he motivated his team, the strategy, how he carried himself on a daily basis,” he said.
•••
NOTES » Furkan Korkmaz, out the previous three games with a knee, was cleared to play …Harden missed his eighth consecutive game.