Philly Sports Jabronis
By Max Rappaport, Sixers.com
SACRAMENTO –– The Sixers scratched, they clawed, and they fought until the final buzzer, but in the end they suffered their 16th consecutive road loss.
With the Sixers down 107-106 and mere seconds left on the game clock, Hollis Thompson had the ball in his hands. He drove right off the bounce and attempted to kick the ball out to Ish Smith on the wing, but Sacramento’s Ray McCallum was able to deflect the ball and steal it to secure victory for the Kings.
“We’ve run [that play] a lot this year and have had some success, and they did a good job of really overplaying Nerlens [Noel],” head coach Brett Brown said after the game of the final play.
In the first half, the Sixers had everything going offensively, jumping out a 70-63 lead at the break thanks to a 56.3% shooting clip from the field and an 8-for-16 performance from distance in the first 24 minutes of the game. But coming out of halftime, the Kings were able to clamp down on the Sixers defensively, holding the team to just 14 points and taking an 87-84 lead into the final frame.
Sacramento was able to extend its lead to seven in the opening minutes of the fourth, but an offensive explosion from Robert Covington over a 75 seconds from the 7:26 to the 6:11 mark gave the Sixers a 103-100 lead. Covington scored 12 straight points for Philadelphia during that span, knocking down three triples and getting the hoop plus the harm on an alley-oop dish from Ish Smith. But over the final six minutes of the game, the Sixers didn’t make a single field goal, settling for three points at the charity stripe and dropping their second straight game.
“They did a hell of a job of pushing us out of stuff, and we had far too many turnovers,” said Brown after the game; Philadelphia converted 20 turnovers on the night. “
Nerlens Noel finished with 14 points (5/10 FG), 10 rebounds, three assists, and six blocks, but was limited to just two minutes of action during the Kings’ third-quarter run because of foul trouble. Thomas Robinson put together another impressive performance off the pine, contributing a career-high 16 points in 21 minutes against the team that drafted him fifth-overall before trading him during his rookie season.
DeMarcus Cousins finished the game with 33 points, 17 rebounds, three assists, four steals, and four blocks, but was held to 8-of-27 shooting. His 17 made free throws were four more than the 13 Philadelphia converted as a whole.
Embiid Progressing, Looking Ahead
Last week, Coach Brown provided an update on the status of injured rookie Joel Embiid, saying that 20-year-old center had been cleared for increased activity and longer workouts. Since then, Brown has seen progress from the seven-footer, who is perhaps in the best shape he’s been in all season.
“Without a doubt [he’s feeling better],” Brown told reporters Tuesday in Sacramento. “He’s ticking boxes in regards to increased time on the court, to reduced weight… You see him drenched in sweat, he takes his shirt off [and is feeling good about himself], all fantastic signs that his needle is clearly pointing in the right direction.”
With just 11 games left in the season, it’s unlikely that Embiid, selected third-overall in 2014, will suit up. But that hasn’t kept him from putting in extra work before and after practices and getting one-on-one instruction from Brown before games. Before Sunday’s game, he was out on the court an hour before tip, working with the second-year head coach on his high-post game and jump shot.
“We’re trying to set the stage for a great summer,” Brown said. “He feels like his reward will be Summer League, and trying to get ready for actually playing basketball again. He’s most definitely heading in the right direction.”
Next Up
The Sixers travel to Denver Wednesday for the final game of their three-game swing out West. Action tips at 9pm (EST) on The Comcast Network and 97.5 The Fanatic FM.
