Paul Reed praised Patrick Beverley for the help he provided in his career-high game.
Paul Reed came to play in the Philadelphia 76ers‘ loss to the Denver Nuggets. His masterful performance gave the severely shorthanded Sixers a fighting chance to steal a win against the defending champions. Although it ended in defeat, Reed’s performance was very impressive — as was that of Patrick Beverley.
Reed tallied a career-high 30 points along with 13 rebounds in the 111-105 defeat. With no Joel Embiid, he was forced to be the counterpart to Nikola Jokic. The backup big man picked the perfect time to have the highest-scoring game to date in his professional career, even if he didn’t get to celebrate it with a win.
“It felt good, it felt like at the end of the day going out there and trying to win got to do whatever it takes to try and win, that was my mindset tonight,” Reed said to reporters after the loss.
Reed did a lot of his damage through jumpers despite not being a high-frequency shooter. That skill is one of his that he’s only showing on occasion in most games. But because he believed in his work and kept it simple, he was rewarded.
“Paul Reed was really good, he was really confident, taking everything that was available to him and absolutely looking at the basket on everything,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse. “They are probably not going to guard him that much at the three-point line so he ends up knocking a couple down and made some good, tough finishes and made a few jump shots and again just took everything that was given to him.”
Along with Reed, Beverley came through with a big-time double-double as the answer to Tyrese Maxey’s absence, which was the result of an ankle sprain. PatBev organized the offense with the 76ers stars and third option, Tobias Harris, absent from the game.
Beverley assisted Reed eight times in the game on his way to recording 17 points and a season-high 11 assists. Having a guard who can set him up for easy shots, the big man explained, is critical.
“He makes the game a lot easier for me, not going to lie,” Reed said. “I know he has the floater, that is automatic when we are in the pick-and-roll. It is like either one of us is going to score, it is like me and Maxey. Maxey is either going to get to the cup or dime me. Playing with those two guys makes the game extremely easy for me.”
The 76ers will hope Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey return as soon as possible, putting Paul Reed and Patrick Beverley back into their typical spots as reserves. But for the job they did stepping into the role of the stars for this game, they deserve a ton of credit.
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