(Associated Press)

The Sixers recalled Arnett Moultrie from the NBA's D-League Sunday, and the future of another rookie -- Maalik Wayns -- is in jeopardy.

The team announced it had waived Wayns, an undrafted guard out of Villanova. Wayns, who averaged 2.5 points in 20 games, had played only two of the Sixers' last seven. Coach Doug Collins once had envisioned Wayns as a backup point guard to Jrue Holiday, but that plan never materialized.

By rule, Wayns will remain on waivers for 48 hours. If he's unclaimed, the Sixers can sign him to a more-temporary contract than what they would have been locked in to with Wayns' rookie deal, which carried a partial guarantee had they not made a move prior to today at 5 p.m.

Moultrie, assigned to Sioux Falls Dec. 21, hadn't been getting minutes with the Sixers. In his time in the D-League, the first-year forward out of Mississippi State averaged 9.7 points and 6.1 rebounds in seven games. The Sixers need more from Moultrie than six minutes per game over 11 appearances.

(Associated Press)

HOUSTON -- There was no beating around the bush, no sense sugar-coating it. Thad Young made it clear, in the moments following the Sixers' 125-103 loss to the Rockets, what was to blame.

“We didn't play any defense," he said.

Here's how bad things got for the Sixers:

• The Rockets, who shot 56 percent overall and 41 percent from 3-point range, had 29 assists on 42 baskets.
• The Sixers gave up the most points in Doug Collins' three-year tenure. Not since Eddie Jordan's swan song as their coach, April 15, 2009 at Orlando, had the Sixers given up as many points.
• In their last five games, the Sixers rank third-worst in scoring defense, allowing 106.8 points per game.
• The Sixers have allowed their last three opponents to breach the 100-point mark, the longest stretch since Collins' first season, in 2010-11.
• In 25 games, the Sixers' opponents have scored 100-or-more points 10 times. In all of last season, even though it was lockout-shortened, the Sixers gave up 100-or-more 12 times. The Sixers, by the way, ranked second in the NBA a year ago in scoring defense.

So ... where to from here?

"As a team, we can't go out there and score 127, 128 points. One-hundred-anything means we didn't play any defense," Young said. "We just have to go back to the drawing board to figure out how to stop guys and get stops and get back to playing our game."

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A couple injury updates:

Andrew Bynum is visiting his personal physician Thursday in New York and, if David Altchek delivers good news from the follow-up appointment and MRIs, we might have a better idea when Bynum can return.

Jrue Holiday (left foot sprain), who's missed four games, remains day-to-day. Evan Turner (mild left ankle sprain) left Wednesday's game in the third quarter. And X-rays returned negative for rookie Maalik Wayns (right foot pain), who suffered injury in the final minute against the Rockets.

(Associated Press)

Statistically speaking, Doug Collins has one of the best benches in the NBA. But that's not stock he's willing to buy.

A couple factors have contributed to Collins' struggling to find the right mix, night to night. Who comes off the bench first? Who goes in what role? Who's a scoring source? Who can provide lock-down defense?

 “Teams are trying to find who their bench is," Collins said Monday, after practice at PCOM. "Last year, our bench was Lou (Williams), Thad (Young), Lavoy (Allen) and Evan (Turner) – three starters now and a guy who’s not on our team. And so we’re trying to create something that, maybe, was our greatest strength last year. We’re trying to find out."

The Sixers, who rank fourth in the NBA with 38.8 points per game from their reserves, trail only Denver, San Antonio and Dallas in bench points. Still, plenty of uncertainty surrounds the Sixers' bench, with Collins citing a sense of belonging among his non-starters. Saturday, Collins went to his bench for only 49 minutes of a possible 240 in a loss at Chicago.

"What we have to do with that is know who you are, know what you bring and bring that every night so I can count on that," Collins said, of what he tells his bench players. "The thing that we have is we don’t have a lot of separation. What happens if I need Royal Ivey, but not Maalik (Wayns)? Now Maalik goes, ‘I don’t know what my role is because I didn’t play tonight.’ Or Royal gets a couple DNPs and goes, ‘I haven’t been in the rotation.’ Or Kwame (Brown) gets eight minutes in Charlotte, then doesn’t play the other night, but I need him big tomorrow night against (Minnesota's Nikola) Pekovic. So that’s what you’re up against. Just be consistent with who you are and your role will be there."

One of those reserves from whom the Sixers need more is Spencer Hawes (pictured), whose production has dipped tremendously since posting a double-double and eliciting 'M-V-P' chants from a sold-out Wells Fargo Center Oct. 31 in the season opener.

And Hawes knows it.

“I’ve always been harder on myself than anyone else," Hawes said.

More on Hawes Tuesday, so check back then.

(Associated Press)

Jrue Holiday had a career night, so did Maalik Wayns (if you can call it that), and the Sixers held off Phoenix, 104-101, Sunday night.

Here are some odds and ends from the game, which ended a two-game skid for the Sixers:

• Holiday had a career-best 33 points, along with 13 assists, in the win. Only one other Sixer in the last 25 years has had at least 30 points and 13 helpers -- some guy named Iverson.
• With five of them, Holiday has the second-most points-assists double-doubles in the NBA. He trails only Rajon Rondo in that department.
• Maalik Wayns, the rookie out of Villanova, was lauded in post-game by Sixers coach Doug Collins. What he didn't give them in defense, Wayns made up for in offense. He had a career-best seven points in seven minutes.
• Two guys Collins wasn't too pleased with? Rookie Arnett Moultrie and veteran Spencer Hawes, two bigs who combined for 22 first-half minutes...and zero boards. Oof.
• Holiday gets credit for scoring the final three points of the game, but the Sixers couldn't have won without Evan Turner. He was the one defending the Suns' Michael Beasley when he missed a tough shot under the rim in the closing seconds of regulation.
• QUOTABLE: “When he’s not in the game, you definitely can feel it,” Thad Young said of Holiday, who played 39 minutes. “The ball, it doesn’t move around a lot. Jrue is our distributor who’s going to get into the paint and make plays. Sometimes the offense gets stagnant without Jrue in there.”

The Sixers have off Monday and host Dallas Tuesday.

(Associated Press)

Last night, Royal Ivey gave the Sixers 18 minutes off the bench, with five points, three rebounds and an assist. More importantly, Ivey gave them something that didn't show up in the box score.

Sixers coach Doug Collins turned to Ivey in the second half, hoping he'd help slow down Milwaukee's Brandon Jennings. There really wasn't any hindering Jennings' game, which took the form of a 33-point display in the Bucks' victory.

"I was reaching in the grab bag, trying to find anything I could to get us back in the game," Collins said.

“In the second half, we held them to 43 points. We picked up our defense. I think part of that was I put Royal Ivey in the game. And in a game like tonight, he has to play with his speed and quickness because he’s one of the few guys on our team that can guard somebody like a Jennings or a Monta Ellis because they’re just so fast"

In the preseason, it seemed as though rookie Maalik Wayns would run the Sixers' second-team offense. But Wayns struggled out of the gate and, ever since, his minutes have waned. So Collins has turned to Ivey off the bench, for sure-handed play and occasional scoring from a veteran. That's been especially desirable of late, with Jrue Holiday turning the ball over with regularity.

In any case, and in any role, Ivey wants to play...even if it means being tasked with slowing down a speedster like Jennings.

"Man, he’s a tough guard," Ivey said, "but that’s what I live for – trying to stop one of the better guards, one of the better perimeter players, one of the better point guards in the league. I look forward to those challenges. Hopefully I get another shot and hopefully I succeed. I’m looking forward to the next one."

(Times staff / ERIC HARTLINE)

The 76ers are taking some precautions in preparation for the landfall of Hurricane Sandy, and coach Doug Collins said he hopes residents in the area do the same.

With the brunt of the storm expected between Sunday night and Tuesday night, Collins said he and the Sixers have arranged reservations at hotels in proximity to the team's practice facility, at PCOM in Montgomery County.

"As long as we can get to practice (Monday), and as long as hopefully the power doesn’t go out, we have some contingencies where we have some hotel rooms around the practice facility here where we wouldn’t want our guys out driving," Collins said Sunday after a two-hour practice. 

"If we can get them here tomorrow, we should be OK. I’m just hoping for all those people out there in the Delaware Valley and everybody around that they’ve taken the precautions and that they’ve got enough water and enough food and flashlights and candles and everything for their families. Just yesterday being with my daughter and my grandkids and all, my daughter was worried about losing power and stuff. I’m hoping everybody takes the precautions and let’s hope the warnings are far greater than what the storm is."

The Sixers -- tentatively, of course -- have practice scheduled for Monday morning.

NOTES: Collins said Kwame Brown practiced, though the veteran center's participation in an intrasquad scrimmage took place before the team opened practice to the media. ... Rookie guard Maalik Wayns was back at practice after missing Friday's session with a head contusion. He said he feels good. ... If Collins had to pick a starting lineup for Wednesday, he'd go with these five: PG Jrue Holiday, SG Jason Richardson, SF Evan Turner, PF Thad Young, C Lavoy Allen.

(AP)

The other night, Maalik Wayns drove the lane, glided between a pair of defenders and hit a layup for an and-one.

He also slammed his hip on the floor.

“Hit my hip, but I’m fine," Wayns said.

The undrafted rookie out of Villanova, with a so-what attitude and surprisingly sterling play, has played his way into a legitimate shot at a roster spot. On more than one occasion, Sixers coach Doug Collins has called Wayns' performances "terrific."

“I’ve just got a chip on my shoulder. I’m playing to prove myself," Wayns said. "I felt, really, like I was let down when I didn’t get drafted. I felt like I was disrespected. Now I’m just trying to prove myself and make people pay."

Wayns, who has played mostly with the Sixers' second unit, is averaging 11 points, 5.7 assists and 3 rebounds per game in three preseason games with the team, which faces Cleveland tonight at 7 p.m. at Wells Fargo Center.

The more minutes he gets, Wayns said, the more he feels he's earned Collins' trust.

“That’s definitely great," he said. "I’ve got a great coach who believes in me and has that much confidence in me. I get to play. You could be a top-10 pick and not get to play, and I’m an undrafted rookie playing, having the ball in my hands and making calls on the floor. It’s a great situation for me.

“I’ve been a worker my whole life. I never was given nothing in my life, so I’m used to working for things. When I came into camp, I knew what it was about and it was about working and trying to earn minutes and earn a place on this team and earn respect."