Matisse Thybulle on 76ers’ Struggles vs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

The 76ers struggled against Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Thursday. Matisse Thybulle discussed what went wrong on defense.

The Philadelphia 76ers’ defensive effort wasn’t inspiring on Thursday night. Doc Rivers put it bluntly while discussing his team’s performance after the matchup.

“We were bad defensively,” said the head coach. He added that “everybody on the floor got beat,” and the Thunder’s star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander simply beat the Sixers’ best defenders.

Talking to one of the Sixers’ best defenders, Matisse Thybulle, after the game, the two-time All-Defensive Second Team member explained Philadelphia’s struggles after the upset loss.

“We didn’t guard as a team, and then we let Shai get going early, which is a problem,” said Thybulle. “The last time we played him, he struggled early and then struggled to find it for the rest of the game. I feel like when we let him find some easy ones early, it just set the tone for him for the rest of the game.”

In the Sixers’ first matchup against the Thunder, which took place on New Year’s Eve, Gilgeous-Alexander had a below-average performance by his standards. In 32 minutes of action, the star guard drained just 27 percent of his shots, scoring 14 points in the 19-point loss.

On Thursday, Gilgeous-Alexander had a much different outing.

In the first half of action on Thursday, Gilgeous-Alexander knocked down six of his nine shot attempts and went 4-4 from the charity stripe, logging 17 points in 16 minutes. His second-half performance was even better, as he shot 4-7 from the field and was a perfect 12-12 from the free throw line, producing 20 points in 19 minutes.

“He’s just an elusive player,” Thybulle explained. “He plays at a different pace and with a different cadence. If you’re not playing the scout, then he can really take advantage of your mistakes.”

Gilgeous-Alexander surely took advantage of Philadelphia’s defensive shortcomings on Thursday night. By going 10-16 from the field and knocking down all 16 of his foul shots, the Thunder star wrapped up the outing with a game-high of 37 points in 34 minutes. His big-time contributions issued the Sixers a 133-114 loss. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.