In The Post: Grizzlies 117, Sixers 109

In The Post: Grizzlies 117, Sixers 109 

• Philadelphia got off to a good start in the first quarter led by Tobias Harris and Joel Embiid with eight points apiece in the opening frame as the Sixers bested Memphis by one at the end, 30-29. A good sign for Harris since he’s been dealing with an illness going back to Wednesday’s matchup versus the Cavaliers. Harris fought through whatever was bothering him to put together a solid game as he finished with a double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds.
• Ja Morant just continues to get better and better each season. 11 first-quarter points with some slick finishes at the rim as he shows off his elite athleticism and even knocked down a triple. He paced the Grizzlies scoring with 28 points, including eight boards and three assists.
• The second quarter was big again against the Sixers as they dropped the frame, 35-24, going into halftime trailing by 10. This coming after the explosion by Cleveland on Wednesday as they dropped 44 in the second after leading by four points after one. While the 76ers did give themselves a chance Friday night late in the game, the second quarter was a factor again.
• From the 7:16-5:12 mark in the third quarter, it was the Steven Adams show as he took over for the Grizzlies. During that time, the veteran big man had three offensive rebounds that led to six points on three-pointers made by his teammates. He also stole the ball on an inbounds pass near halfcourt on the Sixers end of the floor leading to a dunk the other way forcing a 76ers timeout. That’s eight points for Memphis directly from the work by Adams. This was an important stretch because the 76ers had cut the lead to six, 73-67, after back-to-back threes from Tobias Harris and Joel Embiid. The stars will always shine on a team, but the glue guys will do so many things to help. Adams, who had eight offensive rebounds after three quarters to the Sixers team total of seven, simply outworked Philadelphia to help change the game at that point.
• Every now and then Paul Reed will have an outstanding game that will have you wanting more minutes from him. But then there are games like tonight where you see that he still has a lot to learn as a young player. In six minutes of play, the game seemed to be too fast for him as he played 6:15 second through three quarters picking up two fouls. Was out of sorts in this outing.
• The dominance on the glass by Memphis was at the forefront as they hit the glass in a big way, outrebounding Philadelphia, 57-44. But the offensive rebounds were critical as they gathered a total of 19 rebounds, 10 by Adams. The Sixers had 10 as a team.