Jah Gets Minutes, Cov & Dario Team Up For Game Tying-Triple

By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly Staff 

Through the years of The Process, there have been a large amount of players to pass through Philadelphia with some leaving a more lasting impression than others. Today, we are quickly re-visiting three players that were faces of The Process in different ways since they did some good/fun things during Wednesday night's action!

Jahlil Okafor Resurfaces, Gets Minutes

Only one guy from the Sixers center logjam remains – Joel Embiid. There was a time when the team had Embiid, Richaun Holmes, Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor. All of the others have since moved on, with two of the three (Holmes & Noel) logging regular minutes with their new teams. Meanwhile, Jahlil Okafor usually rides the bench for New Orleans, but on Wednesday night, the big man broke out for a strong game against one of the East's best teams.

Although New Orleans lost in Milwaukee, 123-115, Jah got some playing time due to injuries to both Julius Randle and Nikola Mirotic. He only played 13 minutes, but was a team high +13, scoring 17 points to go along with three boards and two blocks. He shot 6-for-8 from the floor. 

"I was just doing what I do," said Okafor. "What I've always been able to do. And then my teammates are telling me just keep going, keep going, keep going, so I guess that gave me a lot of confidence and made my job easier."

The former No. 3 pick had a solid rookie season in Philadelphia before injury and defensive inefficiencies made him unplayable. He was traded to the Nets in 2017 and barely played before signing a one-year deal with New Orleans in the offseason. Okafor may not see the floor a whole lot, and knows how the game is changing, but feels like his game can still be effective.

"It's definitely challenging the way that the game is evolving, but I know who I am, and I feel like I can do a lot of other things that a lot of other people can do. At the end of the day, I know what my bread and butter is, and I know that can be very effective."

Here's highlights from Jah's 17-point performance:

Dario, RoCo Help Force Overtime

It's been over a month since the Sixers acquired Jimmy Butler from Minnesota in exchange for Robert Covington, Dario Saric and some vet point guard that never played. While the Sixers continue to trend upward with Butler in the lineup, the Timberwolves are still finding their footing since the trade. They have lost five of their last six, most recently an overtime loss to the Pistons on Wednesday. Even with it being a loss, Minnesota wouldn't have even gotten to overtime if it weren't for a duo of former Sixers.

On the T'Wolves' final possession, Derrick Rose couldn't convert a layup in traffic and Detroit looked to have the rebound. Instead, Dario stole the ball and found Robert Covington behind the three-point line with eight seconds to go in the fourth. 

Unfortunately, Minnesota was out-scoured 40-26 in the fourth and 11-5 in the extra session to lose by six. Covington finished with 22 points on 7-for-15 shooting (5-11 3FG) while Dario scored 15 off the bench, shooting 6-for-10 from the floor. He was a team-high +10. 

 

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