Looking to notch their first winning streak of the regular season, the Sixers returned to their home floor on Sunday evening in hopes of building on their dramatic victory against the Brooklyn Nets two nights prior. Once again, they entered battle without Joel Embiid and Paul George, who continue to grapple with left knee ailments.
For the second and final time this season, the Sixers faced off against the Los Angeles Clippers, led by James Harden and a cast of role players featuring fellow old friends Nic Batum, Mo Bamba and Kai Jones.
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The Sixers came out flat, putting themselves in a major hole early. And they never even created the appearance of having a chance at making inroads on the lead. The Sixers relented and watched another team dominate on the Spectrum-themed Wells Fargo Center floor, with Harden leading the way. The Sixers' strongest push did not come until the game had been clearly put out of reach.
Here is what stood out from a 125-99 Sixers loss that was awful in every sense of the word:
Sixers defense gashed early by Harden, creating significant deficit
It only took four minutes for Sixers head coach Nick Nurse to call his first timeout, and his team quickly needed to regroup. The Sixers were outscored 14-5 in the opening 241 seconds of action, with a Harden-engineered offense casually generating whatever looks it wanted possession after possession.
Nurse's timeout provided momentary relief, but things quickly took another turn for the worse.
Harden manipulated the Sixers' defense to a degree very few players are capable of reaching, and added in some doses of Vintage Harden — a step-back three, an and-one on a drive and, of course, a successful baiting of a three-point foul:
The 10-time All-Star guard tallied a dozen points, two rebounds and two assists on terrific efficiency in the first, but even when Harden was out of the game, the Sixers simply looked completely disorganized as a defense. They continued to over-help on drivers, handing Clippers wings open three-point tries.
The Clippers entered this game 24th among NBA teams in Offensive Rating, but from the outset they were generating just about every single shot they wanted — and made most of them, too. The second quarter had not even reached its halfway point before the Clippers reached 54 points — they did so thanks to a collective 21-for-33 shooting line from the field and a 7-for-11 start from three-point range.
To give credit where it's due, Clippers head coach Ty Lue had his group making wise and quick decisions on the ball that enabled their offensive outburst to kick things off. But the Sixers suffered plenty of self-inflicted wounds on that end of the floor, too.
Jared McCain finally shows signs of mortality
In eight games since becoming a critical rotation piece for these Sixers, McCain has entirely avoided any sort of inefficiency — perhaps the most impressive part of his brilliant stretch of play. Finally, though, the 20-year-old rookie had a bad half. What a world!
McCain's primary defender for much of the night was Derrick Jones Jr., a wildly athletic wing with a 6-foot-6 frame and 7-foot wingspan. Jones is not just quick and long, but physical, too, and he was able to use all of that to disrupt the rhythm of McCain, who also missed a few open triples he certainly would have liked to have back.
In 14 minutes prior to intermission, McCain scored just five points on a 1-of-8 shooting line from the field while missing all five of his three-point tries.
Perhaps he will not post a brilliant, efficient 20-plus point performance in every single game.
Sixers first-half rotation odds and ends
The Sixers' offense sputtered in the second quarter, as they only totaled 23 points across a dozen minutes. But they hung in there thanks to a rejuvenated defense which held the Clippers to eight points in the final seven minutes and 22 seconds of the second quarter.
Among the vital contributors there was KJ Martin, who is back in Nurse's rotation due to George's injury. Martin still lacks any sort of consistent scoring punch, but his defense across multiple positions and ability to utilize his ridiculous athleticism as an offensive rebounder make him a useful piece — as do his sneaky passing chops.
Eric Gordon, who has had a brutal start to the season due to uncharacteristically poor shooting numbers, had a pair of steals in the first half in addition to a triple and two successful drives to the basket. It represented significant progress for someone who needs to turn his season around very soon.
Kelly Oubre Jr. spent some time defending Harden — to varying degrees of success but was strong attacking the basket. He also had one of the fastest baskets you will see to open an NBA game:
Harden's primary defender for much of this one was Caleb Martin, who still cannot find any sort of groove or consistency as an offensive player. His role continues to fluctuate based on the availability (or lack thereof) of Embiid, George and Tyrese Maxey, who only scored six points in the first half. Caleb Martin and McCain led the Sixers in shot attempts prior to intermission, and like McCain, Caleb Martin went just 1-for-8 from the field during his dozen first-half minutes.
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Sixers begin third quarter in worst way possible
Is there just something about these Sixers and third quarters?
On the first possession of the second half, Lue schemed the perfect counter to the Sixers' hurried double-teams of LA center Ivica Zubac which enabled Zubac to find a cutting Jones for an easy basket at the rim. Maxey missed a running layup — Maxey needed a moment to get back to his feet — and Jones drilled a three. Caleb Martin turned the ball over on a stagnant possession, and the Sixers forced a missed three... but nobody got the rebound. Clippers guard Kris Dunn, an ultimate hustle player who nearly became a Sixer many years ago, swooped in for the offensive rebound and an easy layup.
Suddenly, a 12-point Clippers lead became a 19-point lead... And then it got worse.
Wheels fall off as Sixers draw ire of home crowd
The loudest boos of the Sixers season to date came after Nurse called a timeout at the 3:56 mark of the third quarter. The deficit his team faced, once 12, then 19, had grown to 31.
Somehow, the Sixers have already assembled an enormous portfolio of disastrous third-quarter performances. This one, though, took the cake. The Sixers were outscored 35-22, with McCain ending the frame with his first triple of the game.
What was most mystifying about this 12-minute stretch was the five-man unit Nurse had on the floor as the Clippers blew the game open. His team was very much on the ropes, one haymaker away from falling to the canvas, and Nurse brought Maxey and McCain to the bench. His lineup of Reggie Jackson, Gordon, Oubre, KJ Martin and Drummond predictably floundered — and the Sixers' hopes of staging a comeback evaporated.
The Sixers are 3-13.
Up next: The Sixers will conclude their three-game home-stand on Wednesday night, hosting a young Houston Rockets team in the midst of a major leap powered by plenty of young talent.
MORE: Can Sixers hang onto protected 2025 first-rounder?
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