Ricky Council IV

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Matt Murphy

The Philadelphia 76ers (46-35) enter the final day of the 2023-24 regular season on an NBA-best seven-game winning streak, and will host the Brooklyn Nets (32-49) for a Sunday matinee.

The Sixers also enter Game 82 as the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference. Among the many possible outcomes, a win over Brooklyn combined with a loss from either Indiana (vs. ATL) or Orlando (vs. MIL) gets the Sixers the No. 6 seed and out of the Play-In Tournament. Philadelphia can finish as high as fifth if they win and Indiana and Orlando both lose, per ESPN, though there could be an additional route to No. 5 with only an Indiana loss (head-to-head tiebreaker with ORL). If Orlando and Indiana both win, the Sixers will finish seventh even with a win.

Now, If the Sixers lose and the Miami Heat (currently No. 8) win at home against Toronto, the Heat would own the second tiebreaker over Philadelphia based on conference record, which could bring home-court advantage into play depending on other results.

The No. 7 seed hosts the No. 8 seed for a single Play-In Tournament game, with the winner advancing to a full series against the two-seed (the loser would host the winner of the 9-10 game for the right to face top-seeded Boston).

Sunday’s 1 p.m. ET window features seven Eastern Conference matchups.

The Sixers’ most recent win was a 125-113 Friday result against the Orlando Magic (46-35). They now hold a 29-5 record when they score at least 120 points in a game. Reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid scored a game-high 32 points in 32 minutes.

“Personally, I’m not,” Kelly Oubre Jr. said postgame about if he is concerned with seeding or potential playoff opponents. “But at the end of the day, I know how the game works. We don’t get to be successful unless we take care of each and every game in front of us. Obviously, it’s good to know that stuff, but it just kind of adds extra pressure and extra anxiety onto a stressful league. I’m not, but I’m just trying to go out there and perform and win every game that we play.”

Brooklyn leads the season series with Philadelphia, 2-1:

The Nets (32-49) fell, 111-107, to the Knicks on Friday despite leading by 17 points in the first half. Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 30 points and 11 assists, but Brooklyn’s Cam Thomas led all scorers with 41 points. Thomas shot 15-for-26 from the field, 4-for-9 from deep, and made all seven of his free throws in 37 minutes as a starter. It was his fourth 40-point effort of the season, including one in Philadelphia in the Feb. 3 meeting.

In last year’s regular season finale, Thomas tallied 46 points (16-29 fg, 6-8 3fg, 8-8 ft) in 43 minutes against Philadelphia. Thomas leads the Nets in scoring on the season at 22.5 points per game, with Mikal Bridges at 19.7 points per contest.

The Nets listed the following nine players as out leading up to Sunday afternoon’s game in Philadelphia: Keita Bates-Diop (right tibia stress fracture), Dorian Finney-Smith (left knee effusion), Cameron Johnson (left big toe sprain), Jaylen Martin (left ankle sprain), Dennis Schröder (right achilles soreness), Day’Ron Sharpe (right wrist effusion), Ben Simmons (lower back nerve impingement), Dennis Smith Jr. (right hip synovitis), and Dariq Whitehead (left shin stress reaction).

For Philadelphia, there are three players with questionable statuses in Joel Embiid (left knee injury recovery), KJ Martin (left great toe contusion), and De’Anthony Melton (back injury recovery). Robert Covington (left knee bone bruise) is out.

Allen Iverson on how he hopes his sculpture inspires those who walk by it at the Penn Medicine Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex:

"Just playing every game like it's your last. That was always my motto... If [I was] on the court, there was no reason not to play that game like it was my last."

"I see the confidence level. The confidence in himself and knowing that he can do it. He put in the work to become the Tyrese Maxey that he is now. I love watching him play, I cheer for him - I'm always going to be a Sixer. That's who I am. I live this... When I'm rooting for them, it's a feeling as if I was still playing for us."

76ers Head Coach Nick Nurse on Ricky Council IV, who the team converted from a two-way contract to a standard NBA contract on Saturday, making Council IV eligible to play in the NBA playoffs…

“Man, he’s really done a great job. He’s absolutely earned this spot in everything he’s done. I keep saying this, he competes. Every day, he goes hard here. We’re flying him in here, flying him there, playing that game, coming to us, walkthrough, whatever. He’s doing them hard. His shooting has improved. He’s got a unique kind of athleticism that lets him drive and draw fouls. He’s a little bit versatile on defense. He can guard on the perimeter, he can guard up because of his athleticism.”

Sunday’s regular season finale is a 1 p.m. EDT start in South Philadelphia.

The Sixers will wear white uniforms at home and the Nets will wear black.

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Playoffs or Play-In? Sixers Host Nets Sunday Afternoon | Gameday Report 82/82

76ers PR

AVERAGING 5.5 POINTS ON 48.2-PERCENT SHOOTING IN 31 GAMES WITH THE 76ERS

TALLIED 19 POINTS AND 10 REBOUNDS OFF THE BENCH AT WASHINGTON ON FEB. 10; SEVENTH ROOKIE IN TEAM HISTORY TO DO SO

PHILADELPHIA – APRIL 13, 2024 - Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey announced today that the team has signed Ricky Council IV to a standard NBA contract.

Originally signed to a two-way contract prior to this season, Council IV has appeared in 31 games as a rookie with the 76ers, averaging 5.5 points on 48.2-percent shooting and 1.4 rebounds in 9.1 minutes per game. He has logged at least 10 minutes of action in 11 of his 31 appearances, producing 10.5 points on 54.2-percent shooting in those contests.

Council IV has tallied at least 10 points on eight occasions, including a career-best 19-point, 10-rebound performance at Washington on Feb 10. He became the seventh rookie in franchise history – and the first since Dario Šarić in 2017 – to produce at least 19 points and 10 boards off the bench.

In 27 games with Philadelphia’s G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, Council IV recorded 23.8 points on 47.3-percent shooting, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. He reached the 30-point mark on five occasions and connected on at least three triples 12 times.

Last season, Council IV appeared in 36 games (29 starts) collegiately for the University of Arkansas, where he ranked fifth in the Southeastern Conference with a team-high 16.1 points to go along with 3.6 rebounds. The All-SEC Second Team selection scored in double figures in 31 of his appearances this season.

The Razorbacks earned a No. 8 seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, upsetting No. 1-seeded Kansas in the second round to reach the Sweet Sixteen.&nbsp;

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Philadelphia 76ers Sign Ricky Council IV to Standard NBA Contract

Currently on a five-game winning streak, the 76ers (44-35) return home to play the Detroit Pistons (13-65) on Tuesday night. The Sixers end their regular season with three consecutive home games against Detroit, Orlando (Fri.), and Brooklyn (Sun.).

Philadelphia’s fifth-straight win came in double-overtime fashion Sunday night in San Antonio, a 133-126 victory on the second night of a back-to-back after winning in Memphis.

The Sixers saw a 14-point lead turn into a 10-point halftime deficit and still trailed by seven heading into the fourth quarter. No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama posted 33 points (11-20 fg, 5-10 3fg, 6-7 ft), 18 rebounds, six assists (nine turnovers), and seven blocks for the Spurs.

“We could have easily said, ‘This is not our night, the second night of a back-to-back,’” Nico Batum said of the team being without Joel Embiid and Kyle Lowry, among others.

Tyrese Maxey sent the game to overtime with a layup to tie the game, 111-111, after a timeout and Batum inbounds pass with just 2.7 seconds left in regulation. Maxey scored a career-high 52 points.

“He didn’t give up,” Batum said of Maxey. “He led the way for us. He kept fighting. If your best player keeps playing that way, [it’s] like ‘Come on guys, we have to keep playing and supporting,’ and we did that. It’s a big win for us.”

Batum connected on multiple clutch 3-pointers, including one to stretch the Sixers’ lead to two possessions (131-126) late in the second overtime. Ricky Council IV - who made a huge impact alongside KJ Martin late in the game - delivered the key pass. 76ers Head Coach Nick Nurse put Council IV (11 points) into the game for the first time in the fourth quarter and never took him out. The coach praised the rookie’s defense postgame, before discussing those critical overtime sequences:

“He made a layup, he got fouled, and made an incredible pass out to Nico [Batum],” Nurse said of Council IV. “The left-hand wraparound [pass] - that was really the dagger play a little bit. So he was good. He plays hard, he plays hard.”

With the win over the Spurs and a Miami Heat (43-35) loss to the Indiana Pacers (45-34), the Sixers moved past Miami and into seventh place between those two teams in the Eastern Conference standings.

The Sixers are 3-0 against the Pistons this season, with all three contests taking place almost four months ago or earlier: Nov. 10 (114-106 PHI) and Dec. 13 (129-111 PHI) in Detroit, and Dec. 15 (124-92 PHI) in Philadelphia.

The Pistons (13-65) are last in the Eastern Conference. They are on a four-game losing streak and hold a 1-12 record since mid-March.

Most recently, Detroit fell 113-103 in Brooklyn on Saturday. The Pistons will wrap up their four-game road trip and a stretch of seven of eight away from home when they visit Philadelphia. Cade Cunningham posted 36 points, four rebounds, eight assists, and two steals against the Nets. He averages a team-high 22.7 points and 7.5 assists per contest.

Malachi Flynn - a 5.3 point-per-game player acquired at the trade deadline - scored a career-high 50 points (18-25 fg, 5-9 3fg, 9-12 ft) off the bench in Atlanta on April 3. He is only the third player in NBA history with a 50-point game off the bench (Nick Anderson, Jamal Crawford).

The Pistons have had 31 different players appear in a game, one behind this season’s Memphis Grizzlies (32) for the most in NBA history.

Pistons players listed as out leading up to Tuesday’s game in Philadelphia include: Simone Fontecchio (left great toe; contusion), Quentin Grimes (right knee contusion), Isaiah Stewart (right hamstring strain), Ausar Thompson (illness), and Stanley Umude (right ankle fracture). Evan Fournier (right knee soreness) is probable and Cade Cunnigham (left knee injury management) is questionable.

Robert Covington (left knee bone bruise) remains out for the Sixers. Joel Embiid (left knee injury recovery), Tobias Harris (left knee contusion), Kyle Lowry (left knee effusion), Tyrese Maxey (left hip tightness), and De’Anthony Melton (back; lumbar spine bone stress) are all questionable.

Melton has been out since Jan. 15, with the exception of returning for three games in late February.

“I got a tap on the shoulder at the beginning of the fourth quarter telling me we need energy and they’re looking for energy, so be ready,” Council IV said. “Coach came back with the board. My name was on the board. So that type of confidence - them knowing I have that type of energy to impact the game - was big, so I had to go out there and do it. And we came out with the win.”

Tyrese Maxey on his determination to play 54 minutes (52 points) in Sunday’s double-overtime win in San Antonio…

“We know how important these games are. It's playoff time. Postseason time. I didn't want to let us lose. I wanted to do whatever I could. Exert all my energy. I could live with the result after that.”

Tuesday’s 76ers-Pistons game is a 7 p.m. EDT start in South Philadelphia.

On another “Spirit of 76 Night,” presented by Crypto.com, the Sixers will wear their navy City Edition uniforms against the Pistons in their white Association Edition uniforms.

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Inside Maxey’s 52-Point Game, as 76ers Host Detroit Pistons in Philadelphia | Gameday Report 80/82

Lauren Rosen

The 76ers (34-25) are back on the road, visiting the Dallas Mavericks (34-26) for a nationally televised Sunday matinee.

Following their visit with the Mavericks, the Sixers will visit the Brooklyn Nets (23-36) Tuesday to close their two-game trip. Philadelphia will complete the month of March by playing 11 of its next 16 matchups on the road. 

The team enters its heavy road stretch on a high note, a 121-114 win over the Charlotte Hornets (15-45) Friday at home.

Headlining that win were Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris, each pouring in a 30-plus point outing en route to victory.

Maxey was particularly proud to see Harris’ success:

“I’m happy for him,” Maxey said postgame. “He played extremely well, he played extremely hard. He started the game out extremely aggressively. And we’re going to need that from him down the stretch.”

“Just being aggressive out there, taking the looks that were presented, and being able to see the ball go through the rim a few times, and fueling off of the energy,” Harris said. “I thought we did a great job of being organized in what we were doing.”

The Mavericks took the first of two meetings between Philadelphia and Dallas this season on Feb. 5, 118-102, in Philadelphia.

Dallas is led by the league’s leading scorer, Luka Doncic - averaging 34.5 points per game. Along with scoring, Doncic leads the Mavericks in rebounds (8.9 rpg), assists (9.7 apg), and steals (1.5 spg).

Doncic led the way in the Mavericks’ most recent appearance, a 138-110 loss at Boston Friday, in which Doncic notched a 37-point, 12-rebound, 11-assist triple-double.

Kyrie Irving is averaging 25.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game for Dallas this season. Irving led the way for Dallas in its Feb. 5 win over Philadelphia, finishing with 23 points, five rebounds, eight assists, and two steals.

Maxey jokes about silencing doubters of his defensive abilities:

“I took something out of Joel’s book. I’ve been reading everybody’s twitters - and everybody said I can’t play defense. So I’ve just been trying to play better defense.”

Sunday’s game is set for 1:00 p.m. ET in Dallas (12:00 p.m. local).

The Sixers will wear their white Association Edition uniforms, while the Mavericks will wear their black City Edition uniforms.

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76ers Set for Sunday Matinee in Dallas | Gameday Report 60/82

phimbythrow

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Philadelphia 76ers: Best of February 2024 Photo Gallery

The 76ers (33-25) will seek a bounce-back win Friday, hosting the Charlotte Hornets (15-44) in South Philadelphia.

The Sixers have won both of their first two matchups with the Hornets this season thus far - a 135-82 victory on Dec.16, and a 97-89 win on Jan. 20. Philadelphia and Charlotte played their first pair of meetings this season in Charlotte, and will play the final two in Philadelphia (the fourth and final matchup coming March 16).

Joel Embiid (out - left knee meniscus procedure) led the way in both of his team’s first two wins, notching a 42-point, 15-rebound double-double in the first victory and a 33-point, 10-rebound double-double in the second.

And while Embiid remains sidelined, he was in Camden with his teammates Thursday, addressing the media following the team’s practice.

“I just love playing basketball,” Embiid reflected on his weeks recovering from surgery. “I want to be on the floor as much as possible. I only have about 20 years to do this, so any chances that I get, I want to be on the floor. I just want to play as much as I can, and try to help us.”

The reigning MVP also discussed his historic season to date - averaging 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game.

“Great season - it’s not over yet,” Embiid said. “The goal is always about winning.”

“I was on a roll, and I felt like I wasn’t even close to where I wanted to be, body-wise and basketball-wise, because I wasn’t at my best. I felt like there was still another level that I could go to.”

Friday’s matchup represents a single-game stop at home for the 76ers, who will travel to Dallas Saturday for a Sunday matinee matchup with the Mavericks (34-25), followed by a Tuesday visit to the Brooklyn Nets (22-36).

As of Thursday evening, the Sixers hold the No. 6 spot in the Eastern Conference, holding the same record as the No. 5 Heat (33-25) and 1.5 games behind the No. 4 Knicks (35-24).

The Hornets will visit the Sixers on the second night of a back-to-back, after dropping both sides of a home-and-home versus Milwaukee.

Charlotte fell 111-99 to Milwaukee Thursday in Charlotte, and fell 123-85 Tuesday in Milwaukee.

Brandon Miller led the way for Charlotte in scoring Thursday, finishing with 21 points, seven rebounds, and an assist in 40 minutes of play.

LaMelo Ball has been out for Charlotte since Jan. 27 (ankle). Ball leads the Hornets in scoring in his 22 appearances this season, averaging 23.9 points, plus 5.1 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game.

Joel Embiid (left knee meniscus procedure), De’Anthony Melton (back; lumbar spine bone stress), and Robert Covington (left knee bone bruise) are out Friday. KJ Martin (right ankle impingement) is questionable.

Friday’s game is set for 7:00 p.m. ET in Philadelphia.

The Sixers will wear their red Statement Edition uniforms, while the Hornets will wear their white Association Edition uniforms.

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76ers Back at Home, Hosting Hornets | Gameday Report 59/82

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Philadelphia 76ers: Best of January 2024 Photo Gallery

PHILADELPHIA – OCT. 25, 2023 - Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey announced today that the team has signed Ricky Council IV to a two-way contract.

Council IV, 22, saw 25 minutes of preseason action across three games for Philadelphia, tallying 10 points, five rebounds, and two steals. He scored four points on 2-of-2 shooting vs. Boston on Oct. 11.

The Durham, North Carolina native competed in eight total summer league games with Philadelphia in both the Salt Lake City Summer League and the 2K24 NBA Summer League 2023 in Las Vegas, averaging a combined 10.0 points and 4.0 rebounds.

During the 2022-23 collegiate season with Arkansas, Council IV ranked fifth in the Southeastern Conference with a team-high 16.1 points to go along with 3.6 rebounds. The All-SEC Second Team selection scored in double figures in 31 of his appearances, while reaching the 20-point mark on 11 different occasions.

In a related move, the 76ers have waived Ąžuolas Tubelis.

Heading into the 2023-24 season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night, the 76ers roster stands at 18 players, including three two-way contracts.

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Ricky Council IV Signed to Two-Way Contract

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