Where Was 76ers' Kelly Oubre in Crunch Time vs. Celtics?

The Philadelphia 76ers rolled out the same starting lineup for the fourth-straight game following the departure of the veteran forward PJ Tucker.

Once Tucker was added to the James Harden blockbuster deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, the veteran wing Kelly Oubre got bumped up to the starting lineup. The move made a ton of sense, considering the success Oubre was finding as a key reserve.

During the first three games of the season, Oubre averaged 19 points while shooting an efficient 50 percent from the field. When Oubre was first inserted into the Sixers’ starting five, his production didn’t see a drop-off.

With more minutes acquired, Oubre averaged 24 points while shooting 58 percent from the field during the Sixers’ wins over the Toronto Raptors and Phoenix Suns. After a hot first two weeks on the Sixers, Oubre cooled down a bit, beginning with Monday’s game against the Washington Wizards.

Taking just five shots from the field, Oubre converted on one basket in 26 minutes of action. While he bounced back in Wednesday’s game against the Boston Celtics by scoring 14 points on 55 percent shooting in 26 minutes, Oubre wasn’t on the floor for the Sixers in crunch time in a critical matchup, which left Nick Nurse to explain his decision to roll with Nic Batum over Oubre at that moment after the game.

“I thought Kelly was playing OK; I just liked what Batum was giving us from a communication defensive standpoint,” Nurse admitted. “He was really making the right switches and covering up really good and things like that. That was kind of my thought there. I just wanted to try to prevent them with a barrage of threes at the end. Didn’t do very good there [as a team], but that’s what the thinking was.”

The Sixers were in a comfortable spot when they entered the fourth quarter. A ten-point lead extended to 15 points early on in the final stage of the game. While Oubre’s defense hasn’t necessarily been a liability for Philadelphia, Nurse hoped Batum gave them a better chance to lock the Celtics out.

Boston nearly busted down the doors in South Philly by forming a comeback, getting the game within one possession during the final seconds. By outscoring the Sixers 32-25 in the final quarter, the Celtics had a final chance to knock down a three and force the game into overtime.

Fortunately for Philadelphia, the Celtics failed to convert.

Despite appearing on the court for just two minutes in the fourth quarter on Wednesday, Kelly Oubre remains a key contributor to the Sixers. He scored 14 points with a 60 percent true shooting percentage. In addition to his scoring, Oubre collected eight rebounds and snatched a steal on the defensive end.

Nick Nurse hasn’t confirmed he will be locking in his starting five at this moment, which means that there is a chance Oubre will return to a reserve role sometime soon. Regardless of whether that happens or not, Oubre has shown enough promise to earn well over 20 minutes per night.