Jazz Pull Away to Beat Sixers, 88-71

By Max Rappaport, Sixers.com

SALT LAKE CITY – After suffering a loss in a shootout against the Trail Blazers Friday in Portland, the Sixers hoped to be able to play a more controlled game against a less volatile Utah Jazz team. For the first 42 minutes of the game, that’s exactly what happened, as both teams struggled to find a rhythm on the offensive end and neither pulled away on the scoreboard.

But after playing the Jazz to a virtual draw through the first three and a half quarters of Saturday’s game, something clicked, and Utah finished the game making seven of their last 11 shots and riding a 18-5 end-of-game run to an 88-71 win at home.

In the first half, nothing fell for the Sixers, who made just 12 field goals on 40 attempts in the game’s opening 24 minutes. The Jazz, however, didn’t fare much better, going 15-for-42 from the field and taking a tenuous 44-32 lead into halftime despite Philadelphia’s struggles.

The Sixers opened the second half on a 15-2 run, taking their first lead of the game, up 47-46, just prior to the halfway point of the third quarter. For the next 12 minutes, neither team was able to pull away, with the score remaining withing five points in either direction until an and-1 basket by Derrick Favors at the 5:25 mark of the fourth made it 72-66 Utah. From that point on, it was all Jazz, as Utah coasted to its 10th win of the season.

Carter-Williams struggled from the field, converting on just two of his 20 shot attempts against Utah. The starting five combined to shoot just 14-for-47 (29.8%) on the night, with Tony Wroten’s 20 points on 8-of-17 shooting in 32 minutes off the bench leading the way.

“We play so downhill and play so much in traffic… and sometimes it gets the better of us,” Brown said. “We tell [our players] we win together, we lose together, and we move on.”

Mbah a Moute Sits; Thompson And Embiid Return To Philadelphia

Veteran forward Luc Mbah a Moute missed Saturday’s game against the Jazz with a strained left calf, forcing Coach Brown to reinsert Henry Sims back into the starting lineup at center and slide Nerlens Noel to the power forward position.

Before the game, Brown told reporters that Hollis Thompson had returned to Philadelphia after missing his third straight game with an upper respiratory infection on Friday. He was joined by injured center Joel Embiid (foot), who flew back to Philly to better accommodate his rehabilitation efforts.

“Joel has all the resources he needs in Philadelphia, more of a structured, stable environment with all the machines that he needs to lift on, and the team doctors he can see,” said Brown of the decision. “[His rehabilitation] is moving the way that we want to. There are stages where we have assessments, checkpoints. So far, we’re ticking boxes. We’re at a stage where moving him around the country might not be the smartest thing to do on this long road trip.”

Next Up

The Sixers are off until Tuesday, when they take on the 23-5 Golden State Warriors in Oakland at 10:30pm (EST).

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