January 07, 2015
Wells Fargo Center wasn't nearly the same place Wednesday night that it was Monday, when the Sixers beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 93-92. On Wednesday the opponent -- Milwaukee -- lacked star appeal, the crowd was sparse and the energy level significantly lower.
The biggest difference, however, was the result: Philly fell to the Bucks, 97-77.
Here are a few more things that stood out Wednesday:
What did Tony Wroten, the hero of Monday night’s comeback win over the Cavaliers, get in return for hitting the shot that gave the Sixers (5-29) their first home victory since April? He got to answer questions about his future in Philly as rumors began to swirl about a potential trade to the Clippers.
“I’m auditioning for everybody,” Wroten told CSN Philly’s John Gonzalez before Wednesday night’s game against Milwaukee.
Well if that game was an audition, Wroten left much to be desired, especially early on.
That Clippers scout is getting the full Wroten experience tonight.
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) January 8, 2015
The Clippers do, in fact, have a scout here tonight. I wouldn’t read too much into it, though. Clips have a scout here most nights.
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) January 8, 2015
Wroten played about six minutes in the first and failed to score on six shot attempts (three from beyond the arc) and was a -12 as the Sixers shot 1-for-14 to close out the quarter.
Hopefully that Clippers scout had to make a bathroom run ... and never made it back to his seat because it didn't get much better for Wroten.
Wroten was far from the only Sixers to have a rough start to the game. As a team, the Sixers finished the first 12 minutes with just 11 points.
Early observation: #Sixers look tired
— Bob Cooney (@BobCooney76) January 8, 2015
Unlike the rest of his team, however, Nerlens Noel came out fired up. He and K.J. McDaniels combined for 10 of the Sixers 11 points in the quarter. On his own, Noel scored six points (3-for-3 shooting), grabbed four rebounds and added a pair of blocks.
Nerlens Noel playing like a guy who is a bit ticked off about sitting on the bench for the final 4:45 of crunch time.
— John Finger (@jrfingerCSN) January 8, 2015
It was also quite obvious that the Bucks, even without center Larry Sanders, controlled the paint once Noel was taken out of the game. He would finish with 13 points.
It was so cold in Milwaukee last night that the Bucks decided they needed to do something to get fans to leave their homes and head to the arena. They slashed ticket prices to $5 each, matching the outside temperature at tipoff.
It was nearly as cold in Philadelphia on Wednesday night, no where more so than the court at the Wells Fargo Center.
The Sixers, who aren't great from three to begin with, couldn't get anything to drop against the Bucks. Even their best outside shooter, Robert Covington, struggled. Despite shooting 44 percent from three this season, Covington made just one of nine. As a team, the Sixers shot 2-for-25 (8%), well below their season average .
Wroten didn't help either, shooting 0-for-7 from three and 4-for-19 overall. I think Bob Cooney of the Daily News summed up his night pretty well with one tweet...
Wroten just threw ally oop to Noel that was in and out of the basket. It was Wrotens closest outside attempt of the evening.
— Bob Cooney (@BobCooney76) January 8, 2015
And it wasn't just on three-point shots. While the Bucks had no problems scoring, shooting 53.9 percent from the field, the Sixers struggled throughout the game, shooting just 30.1 percent. Noel (6-for-10), McDaniels (5-for-8) and JaKarr Sampson (5-for-7) were the only Sixers who shot over 50 percent (and had more than five attempts). If you take their attempts out of the equation, the rest of the team - including Michael Carter-Williams (1-for-13), Covington (1-for-11) and Wroten (4-for-19) - combined to shoot an almost incomprehensible 9-for-58 (15.5%).
As for the fans?
More boos from the home crowd.
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) January 8, 2015
Cold indeed.
Furkan Aldemir was coming off his best game yet after grabbing 10 rebounds in 19 minutes against the Cavs on Monday.
Aldemir, as you know, had 10 boards in 19 minutes and did not attempt a shot on Monday, which makes him the perfect basketball player.
— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) January 8, 2015
Unfortunately, the Turkish forward, who has now played seven games as a Sixer, wasn't as successful against the Bucks. He finished with four points (two of which came on a buzzer beater at the end of the game) and six rebounds in 18 minutes.
With 2:51 left in the second quarter, there was an audible "E-A-G-L-E-S" chant, which would've made a lot more sense if the Eagles were still playing. So if watching the Sixers lose by 20 to the Bucks wasn't painful enough, you got a friendly reminder that the city's most-beloved team imploded like the Vet.
