Looking to erase the sour taste of a lifeless home loss to the previously winless Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, the Sixers wrapped up a two-game home stretch with a Saturday night contest against a Memphis Grizzlies team that, like the Sixers, was playing an undermanned squad.
Stop me if you've heard this before in 2024-25: the Sixers fell flat. After a strong first 18 minutes or so, they were dominated by Memphis until the deficit was too significant to overcome. And so, the Sixers are 1-4. Here is what stood out from the Sixers' 124-107 loss at the Wells Fargo Center...
First Quarter
• The Sixers got off to a slow start offensively as they worked themselves into the game. It took nearly three and a half minutes for them to get on the board, but Kelly Oubre Jr. connected from beyond the arc to kick off the team's scoring. Tyrese Maxey took over from there, knocking down a step-back three and finishing at the rim on the Sixers' next possession. The move to free himself for the triple was nasty:
• Oubre then knocked down two more threes, a very encouraging sign of life from a player the Sixers need at his best while Joel Embiid and Paul George are sidelined. The Sixers are desperate for a non-Maxey player to give them significant offensive production; Oubre is by far their best bet to do that in any given game.
Oubre's start to the season as a shooter has not been strong -- the sample size, of course, is small -- though he is always going to look far better around stars. Embiid in particular helped unlock the best version of Oubre at times last season.
• With multiple starting-caliber wings unavailable due to injury, the Grizzlies went super-big in their starting lineup. They already start the 6-foot-10 Jaren Jackson Jr. at power forward to make room for 7-foot-4, 304-pound rookie Zach Edey in the middle. They made a last-minute starting lineup change, inserting 6-foot-11 Santi Aldama into the unit as a "small forward."
The Sixers are sticking with a very small unit for now -- Maxey, Kyle Lowry, Oubre, Caleb Martin and Andre Drummond -- and Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins' unique grouping made for some interesting decisions on both sides. For instance, Aldama and Lowry -- separated by 11 inches in their listed heights -- opened the game as each other's primary defenders. Lowry does not offer much value as a one-on-one offensive player and Aldama is a spacer, not a bruiser, so neither defensive assignment was actually ill-advised -- but the look of it was not something you see every day.
• Behind nine points from Oubre, eight points from Maxey and Martin somehow collecting eight free throw attempts -- he made six of them -- the Sixers carried a 28-24 lead into the second quarter.
Second Quarter
• Sixers head coach Nick Nurse went with another small unit to open the second quarter: Lowry, Jared McCain, Eric Gordon, KJ Martin and Drummond made up his five, and the veteran sharpshooter Gordon made an instant impact, knocking down back-to-back wing triples without either shot even hitting the rim. Gordon's lack of conscience as a shooter is a major asset for the Sixers -- despite the way I worded that phrase, I do mean it in a positive manner.
Gordon also had some strong drives early in the game, including a first-quarter rim finish and another one moments after his pair of threes.
• A strong highlight for this lineup, which outscored Memphis by three points in a hair under five minutes: a terrific KJ Martin block of 7-foot-1 Jay Huff at the rim -- one of three first-half blocks for the athletic fifth-year player -- netting the Sixers a transition opportunity. A crisp back-and-forth between Drummond and McCain on the break led to a crafty layup from the rookie guard:
McCain is coming off the strongest outing of his rookie season on Wednesday night, as the Duke product posted career-highs across the board.
MORE: Film breakdown of McCain's excellent showing
• Even without an enormous lead in hand, the Sixers were clearly in control of this game headed into the final stretch of the first half. But just like that, the Grizzlies took complete command on both ends of the floor. Maxey converted a brilliant and-one with 3:38 left in the second quarter; the Sixers were outscored 14-1 between that point and the beginning of intermission. (The Sixers' lone point came on a technical free throw after a silly backcourt foul committed by the Grizzlies).
The Sixers looked totally discombobulated on offense -- as has happened far too often in 2024-25 -- and Ja Morant got going for Memphis, igniting an offensive breakout and nearing a triple-double (nine points, eight assists, six rebounds) by halftime. Suddenly, Memphis led the Sixers at the midway point of the game, 59-52.
Third Quarter
• Not only did the Sixers' offense continue to lack juice at the start of the second half, but their defensive issues late in the second quarter escalated considerably. Huff and Morant led the way as Memphis' offense dazzled in the third quarter, with Huff draining three after three and throwing down an and-one dunk and Morant putting on Morant-esque highlights like this one:
The Grizzlies' lead just kept growing and growing, and the Sixers showed little resistance on either end of the floor.
• With Oubre in foul trouble and his team in need of an offensive spark, Nurse called upon veteran point guard Reggie Jackson for some spot minutes. He turned the ball over on his first touch -- leading to Huff's slam -- but did knock down a three a moment later. After bringing him into the game with 4:28 remaining in the third quarter in hopes of an offensive spark, the Sixers did not get going on that end of the floor between then and the end of the period, only scoring seven points. They entered the final frame trailing 92-75.
Fourth Quarter
• Facing that 17-point deficit, the lineup Nurse used to open the final dozen minutes of action was not one that exactly inspires tons of hope: Jackson ran the point, sharing the backcourt with McCain. Gordon and KJ Martin manned the wings, with Yabusele at the five. An immediate Memphis run ensued, with missed shots, turnovers and defensive breakdowns all plaguing a team with no margin for error.
• The Sixers were able to get the crowd back into the game a bit when McCain finally connected on his first NBA three-pointer, which was immediately followed up by a Memphis turnover and KJ Martin dunk. Jenkins called timeout, but McCain knocked down another three moments later -- and scored again, bringing the Sixers back within 15 points. McCain got a bit too excited, dribbling into a tough situation and throwing a pick-six, but came right back and scored on the next possession. The rookie showed tremendous comfort playing in crucial minutes that the Sixers had to win, and the Sixers showed tremendous faith in him by repeatedly putting the ball in his hands, even with Maxey on the floor.
• Unfortunately for the Sixers, McCain's flurry of buckets was just too little, too late. Memphis had already accumulated a lead too great for the Sixers to overcome. The Sixers will surely be encouraged by the ability to stay calm and composed in critical moments exhibited by their first-round pick, but they did not do nearly enough to win a basketball game on Saturday.
Up next: The Sixers will now embark on a three-game West Coast road trip, beginning with a battle against the Phoenix Suns on Monday.
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