Sixers Rookies Paul Reed, Isaiah Joe Go Off in G League Semifinals Playoff Win
The Philadelphia 76ers aren't the only team around here having a great season. Down in Orlando, Florida, the Sixers' NBA G League affiliates, the Delaware Blue Coats, managed to make it to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history this season.
On Monday night, they faced the Austin Spurs, and Delaware dominated with a 124-103 win. Sixers rookie Isaiah Joe shot 9-for-18, totaling for 28 points in 34 minutes of action. Following Monday's win, the 76ers had a quick turnaround as the second round of the playoffs began the following night.
On Tuesday, the Blue Coats had another meeting with the Raptors 905. The first time these two teams met was early on in the year. Delaware struggled and took on a bad loss. This time around, though, they had Isaiah Joe in the mix, which surely helped give the Coats a boost in their second G League postseason outing.
Tuesday's game wasn't particularly close. Blue Coats standouts Isaiah Joe and Paul Reed both had themselves 20-plus point outings. Joe, who stood out in the first game, followed up by shooting 7-for-17 from the field. 14 of his shot attempts came from beyond-the-arc, and he nailed five of them. In 37 minutes on the floor, Joe contributed to 24 points for the Coats.
As for Paul Reed, standout performances in the G League is nothing new. As an MVP candidate, Reed has been dominating all season long down in the bubble. Tuesday night's performance was no different. In 36 minutes on the court, Reed hit on 10 of his 18 shots from the field. He wrapped the game up with 26 points and secured the double-double with ten rebounds.
Joe and Reed might've been the standouts of the night, but they weren't the only Blue Coats players to have a solid game. Starting guard Justin Robinson got up 13 shots of his own and contributed to 18 points, while the other Sixers two-way player Rayjon Tucker put up 16 points. Meanwhile, Braxton Key, who came off the bench for nearly 19 minutes, knocked down five of his six three-pointers and collected 21 points.
A big scoring night called for a blowout win over Raptors 905. Delaware wrapped up the game by winning 127-100, getting sweet revenge after taking on that first bad loss to the Raptors earlier on in the season. Now, the Blue Coats will advance to the NBA G League Finals to face the sixth-seeded Lakeland Magic.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.
