3 Sixers Takeaways: Susceptible to Embarrassment
The boo birds circulated throughout the building before the clock hit zero on Tuesday. The Philadelphia 76ers became the first team in NBA history to lose three home games in…
The boo birds circulated throughout the building before the clock hit zero on Tuesday. The Philadelphia 76ers became the first team in NBA history to lose three home games in a single season by 40 or more points.
Furious Sixers fans are demanding better results after the questionable decision to cast Jared McCain away and a cringy series of blowouts. A four-point win over a franchise deliberately tanking the season won't quite satisfy them.
- Sunday 3/1 at TD Garden: Boston Celtics 114, Sixers 98
- Tuesday 3/3 at Xfinity Mobile Arena: San Antonio Spurs 131, Sixers 91
- Wednesday 3/4 at Xfinity Mobile Arena: Sixers 106, Utah Jazz 102
Sixers Susceptible to Embarrassing Blowouts
Nick Nurse took the podium in November after the 76ers’ first embarrassing blowout loss of the season. The Orlando Magic magic walked into Philadelphia and whipped the hapless home team 144-103 on the back of a 51-point second quarter explosion.
“I think 2-3 times a season, you’re going to have games like this where just like everything goes wrong all of a sudden.”
-Nick Nurse on Nov. 25 after 144-103 loss to Magic
The Sixers have exceeded his 2-3 game estimation.
- November 25: Orlando Magic 144, Sixers 103
- January 26: Charlotte Hornets 130, Sixers 93
- February 11: New York Knicks 138, Sixers 89
- March 3: San Antonio Spurs 131, Sixers 91
Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty ImagesEmbarrassing clunkers have become a habit for the Sixers. They’ve limped through losses of 37, 47, and 40 in three of their last 18 games. Grouping their 22-point January loss against Cleveland in the same blowout category means the Sixers have lost four of their past 24 games in nightmare fashion.
Since the New Year, they've also handed games away to a depleted Denver Nuggets squad on January 5 and the bottom-feeding New Orleans Pelicans. The 76ers' pre-All-Star Break nap against the Knicks and the nightmare against the Spurs were especially embarrassing in front of a loyal home crowd.
Nurse talked about the impact of missing Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Kelly Oubre Jr. against the Spurs. While he didn’t excuse the loss, he questionably complimented his extremely inconsistent team for withstanding injuries throughout the season.
“The lineups are shifting quite a bit... We’ve talked about that since day one, that being able to handle that is going to be something that we’re going to have to do. Last night (against the Spurs), we obviously didn’t handle it very well. I think if I’m looking at the big picture of the whole season, I would give us pretty high marks on being able to handle it.”
-Nick Nurse on March 4 after 131-91 loss to Spurs
Nurse’s optimistic outlook on one bad loss doesn’t align with his words all the way back in November about 2-3 games per season going off the rails. The Sixers haven’t consistently maintained high energy in the face of adversity with absences to key players.
The questionable habits make them susceptible to exactly the type of performances that the home crowd suffered through on Tuesday.
“We weren’t who we are tonight.”
-Nick Nurse on Nov. 25 after 144-103 loss to Magic
Sixers Sneak by Ace Bailey & Jazz
The struggling 18-43 Jazz looked like the perfect medicine for recovery one day after the San Antonio loss. The NBA fined Utah in February for conduct detrimental to the league with issues related to tanking. Lauri Markkanen also sat for the matchup in Philadelphia.
The Sixers, however, faced late news of absences from Oubre and VJ Edgecombe in addition to Joel Embiid and Paul George. They snuck away with an ugly victory on the back of solid effort from bench players stepping into bigger roles.
Jabari Walker broke out for 22 points and 10 rebounds. He shot 4-7 from three-point range, despite a rough afternoon that included scratching his brand new Mercedes-Benz.
Photo by Tomas Diniz Santos/Getty ImagesAce Bailey also made his Philadelphia debut. The reigning fifth-overall pick accepted questionable advice from his agency to discourage the Sixers from drafting him.
The home crowd didn’t heckle him very passionately beyond the typical “Sucks!” outcry after Matt Cord announces each visiting team’s starters.
Bailey finished with 12 points on a 5-16 effort from the floor. He emphatically grabbed an offensive rebound in the second quarter and slammed it back home over Andre Drummond, but the Sixers contained him for most of the evening.
Tyrese Maxey on Unfiltered
Even Tyrese Maxey spoke with a sullen tone after the loss to the Spurs. The past week wasn’t entirely bad though.
The franchise’s all-time leading three-point shooter has a lot to be proud of in his second NBA All-Star season. He told Ricky Bottalico and Bill Colarulo on Unfiltered about improvements in his game that have helped him emerge as a superstar.
“In a lot of different areas. One of them is my playmaking, just being able to make plays for my teammates. If I told anybody like three or four years ago that I would have a stretch of where I was averaging 10 assists a game and stuff, people may not (have) believe(d) me.”
Maxey has averaged 6.7 assists this season, a career high pace. Nurse has also given his lineup centerpiece the freedom to take aggressive risks on defense. Maxey's used his speed and anticipation skills to average two steals per game this season.
“My defensive playmaking as well, making plays on the defensive end and helping my team convert defense to offense. There’s a lot of different things, just leadership, all those different things. I just feel like I try to grow every single year.”
Despite his frustration since the organization’s decision to move McCain, it’s nearly impossible to hear Maxey speak for more than a few minutes without an admirable positive message.
“I have a good circle, a good mix around me who just push me to be better, don’t let me be content in who I am and where I’ve been. They let me know there’s always room for improvement. The sky’s the limit. I feel like I’m nowhere close to where I can be. I’m still fine-tuning my game.”
- Saturday 3/7 @ Atlanta Hawks at 6pm on 97.5 The Fanatic
- Monday 3/9 @ Cleveland Cavaliers at 7pm on 97.5 The Fanatic
- Tuesday 3/10 vs. Memphis Grizzlies at 7pm on 97.5 The Fanatic
- Thursday 3/12 @ Detroit Pistons at 7pm on 97.5 The Fanatic
Advanced Stats courtesy of Cleaning the Glass and Basketball Reference
