March 08, 2024
Looking to right the ship after two consecutive brutal losses, the Sixers took the floor against a surging New Orleans Pelicans team Friday night. But with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey still among their several key players who were sidelined, things only got worse, as they fell 103-95.
There is little doubt that the first quarter of this game was the single worst 12-minute period the Sixers have played all season long. Their offense was absolutely dreadful. Their defense might have been equally bad.
The Sixers only scored 15 points in the first quarter, shooting 6-25 from the field and 1-11 from beyond the arc. They committed several turnovers and mental mistakes -- the kind that should be easily avoided. Every possession felt like a nightmare -- the Sixers were consistently taking far too long to generate anything resembling competency on offense, oftentimes needing to throw up a brutal look just to beat the shot clock.
The Pelicans, meanwhile, shot 14-20 from the field in the quarter, posting 36 points, and knocked down five of their nine three-point tries. It felt as if every single time the Sixers missed a shot and the Pelicans grabbed the defensive rebound, they would instantly get into transition, find an open shooter and put another three points on the board.
Aside from their red-hot three-point shooting, the Pelicans ran their offense through Zion Williamson, who used his physicality to run right through Sixers defenders and get to the rim at will. The Sixers tried to defend him with Tobias Harris, who was completely overmatched.
It was an absolute trouncing on both sides of the ball... and it only got worse.
If the Sixers wanted any chance of being remotely competitive in this one, they needed to throw a haymaker in the second quarter. Instead, they threw in the towel.
It was more of the same: their offense was abominable and their defense was lackluster. The Pelicans led by as many as 35 in the middle of the second quarter. They closed out the half leading 64-34. Yes, the Sixers only scored 34 points in an entire half of basketball.
The box score at halftime was a perfect snapshot of just how much of a disaster this game was for the Sixers. Tobias Harris shot 2-7 from the field and 0-3 from beyond the arc. Buddy Hield and Kyle Lowry were a combined 0-8 from the field and 0-6 from three-point range. Paul Reed was just 4-10 from the field. Each member of the Pelicans' front-court pulled seven rebounds. Reed led the Sixers with 10 points; the Pelicans had four players in double-figures.
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse tried just about everything he could given the absences of Embiid, Maxey, De'Anthony Melton, Nic Batum and Robert Covington. Mo Bamba was brought back into the starting lineup; he was quickly dominated on the defensive end of the floor. Kelly Oubre Jr. was also reinserted into the starting five; his efficiency was poor. Two-way guard Jeff Dowtin Jr. was included in the rotation after impressing on Wednesday night; he did nothing of note on either end of the floor. Nurse gave two-way wing Ricky Council IV a chance to inject the Sixers with some semblance of energy; he only contributed to the offense's continued struggles.
After blowing two fourth quarter leads, completely no-showing most of this game is a brutal look, no matter what injuries the team is dealing with. With every passing game in which the Sixers look vastly inferior to their competition, they make things much more difficult for their future selves. Even if Embiid does return, the Sixers are increasingly likely to be part of the NBA's Play-In Tournament, in which just one or two poor showings can send a team home for good.
Right now, the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat are playing tremendous basketball. The New York Knicks have managed to stay afloat despite possibly being decimated by injuries just as much as the Sixers have been. The Milwaukee Bucks are finally figuring things out, and the Cleveland Cavaliers just keep on chugging along. Then there are the Sixers, who are in total free fall.
It is hard to assign blame to any party in particular -- Nurse is coaching a shell of a roster. Just about every player who is struggling is being asked to do far more than expected -- aside from Harris, who has simply been brutal in any role the Sixers have asked him to fill for nearly a month.
It is hard not to get antsy thinking about what the Sixers could be at full strength. But the harsh reality is that these struggles are going to lead to immense roadblocks for the team even if they do eventually reach full health. Quite frankly, there is not much to be optimistic about right now. The Sixers only have each other to rely on as they try to turn things around. They need to do it quickly.
