Philly Sports Jabronis
Report From Philadelphia 76ers
Game Recap: Clippers 130, 76ers 99
Snapshot: The Los Angeles Clippers’ (22-13) high-powered offense proved to have too many weapons in the 76ers’ (3-33) 130-99 setback at Staples Center on Saturday. Although the Sixers only faced a two-point deficit following a back-and-forth first quarter, Los Angeles revved up its attack between the second and third periods, during which the it produced a combined 72 points. The victory was the Clippers’ eighth in a row over the Sixers.
At the outset of Saturday’s contest, the Sixers were energized, lifted in particular by the likes of Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor, and Nik Stauskas. The trio combined to generate more than half of the Sixers’ point total in the game. Okafor seemed especially focused and determined, showing no fear on the interior against the likes of the Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan and Cole Aldrich. Okafor, who was used as a reserve for a third straight game, dropped 14 of his team-high 23 points in the first half, and hit 10 of his 14 field goal attempts overall. Noel accounted for 13 points and eight rebounds. Stauskas, meanwhile, was dialed in from the perimeter, burying a career-best six triples, He matched his personal high of 18 points in the process.
While Jordan struggled at times to contain Okafor, the eight-year veteran demonstrated just how much of a dunking force he can be. All nine of Jordan’s field goals came via slams. He threw down 10 of his 22 points in the third quarter, when Los Angeles outdid the Sixers by 16 points. Hauling in 13 rebounds as well, Jordan manufactured his 20th double-double of the season. Chris Paul also registered a double-double, finishing with 15 points and 14 assists. The Clippers nailed 60.5 percent of their shots, and knocked down 12 of 23 three-point tries.
Top Moment:
Through his first two outings back from a two-game absence caused by right knee soreness, Jahlil Okafor deposited a total of 22 points. Squaring off with the Clippers on Saturday night, Okafor took his aggression and assertiveness to new levels, bursting for 23 points, his highest output in 10 appearances. Below, find the link to a highlight package that captured several of the rookie’s scoring sequences.
http://www.csnphilly.com/video_content_type/highlights-okafor-scores-var…
Brett Brown Said – On Jahlil Okafor delivering 23 points and four rebounds versus the Los Angeles Clippers:
“I just think he was proactive going at DeAndre [Jordan]. This environment is fantastic. I think he felt an offensive feel to his game, going at people. I think he was excited to play against DeAndre.”
Notes and Quotes:
Over the course of the five-game Western Conference portion of their six-game road trip, the Sixers wrestled with several injuries. First, they had to weather Jahlil Okafor’s two-game absence, as he was forced to sit out with right knee pain. Then, in the third quarter of last Wednesday’s 110-105 victory at Sacramento, Hollis Thompson, of the Sixers’ top three-point threats, suffered a right corneal abrasion. He hasn’t appeared since that night. Most recently, on Friday, JaKarr Sampson was involved in a collision that left his non-shooting left shoulder sore.
Prior to Saturday’s pairing with the Clippers, Brett Brown wasn’t certain how much Sampson would be able to contribute, saying that he’d keep an eye on the second-year swingman in the early stages of the first quarter.
Sampson didn’t take too long to make an impact. He assisted on the Sixers’ first field goal, while also scoring four points of his own in the opening six and a half minutes of action. By the time intermission rolled around, Sampson had put in nine points, converting four of his seven field goal attempts. The St. John’s product considers it important to play through pain.
Sampson said, “Pretty much my whole life, I like to think of myself as competitive, someone who fights through injury, and not going to let nothing nagging stop me from playing.”
Sampson experienced some stiffness in his shoulder early in the day on Saturday, but felt good after going through pre-game warm-ups.
In going up against the Clippers, the Sixers found themselves back on the Staples Center floor less than 24 hours after dropping a 93-84 decision to the Lakers. Friday’s tilt was hard-fought, and played at a margin of six points or less until the first minute of the fourth quarter, when the Lakers hit the Sixers with a 13-2 spurt. Despite having to deal with a quick turnaround on Saturday, Brett Brown sensed his team would still be able to maintain the level of spirit with which it had competed for the better part of its road trip.
“That’s one of the benefits of coaching 20-year olds,” said Brown. “They forget quick. In our environment they need to. We don’t want to labor on a loss. We need to find out what did we do wrong or well, and fix it or keep it and move on.”
In Saturday’s first quarter, the Sixers appeared to do just that, jumping out to a five-point lead with just over a minute remaining in the period. They were sparked by Jahlil Okafor and Nik Stauskas, who combined for 14 points over the opening 12 minutes of play.
Brown continued, “I think that we spend so much time with recovery, and how do you pack it up, and educating our young guys on how you take care of your body, that I think from a sports science side we’re trying to do everything we can to educate them. So you take 20 years old, you take physical attention, prideful responsibility with their body, they forget losses quickly. We’ll come in swinging. More times than not, this group jumps out and competes, and I’m proud of their effort way more than I’m not.”
The Clippers began to gain separation from the Sixers in the final five minutes of the second quarter. They went on to lead by as many as 39 points in the final frame.
Saturday’s contest at Staples Center pitted the Sixers against Luc Mbah a Moute, a valued contributor from last year’s roster. Now in his eighth NBA campaign, Mbah a Moute posted some of the highest marks of his career a season ago. With Brett Brown depending on Mbah a Moute to provide leadership and production, the Cameroon native notched a personal-best 9.9 points in a career-high 28.6 minutes per game.
“He just is solid,” Brown said about Mbah a Moute, who inked a one-year deal with the Clippers several days before training camp. “He’s a good person. He’s extremely versatile. We had him guard [Cleveland small forward] LeBron [James], we had him guard [Charlotte center] Al Jefferson, we had him switch out on quick point guards. There’s just a toughness and a physical side to him and an intellectual side to him that makes him sort of just NBA-ready. He’s a great teammate, low maintenance, just solid. So, to see him, to have the memories that I have of him navigating like what we’re doing this year, and helping me keep the young group together, the lockerroom together, it’s great to see him.”
JaKarr Sampson, a rookie last season, felt that Mbah a Moute set a model example for the Sixers’ younger players to follow.
“Oh yeah, Luc was like the Godfather, the old head of the team,” said Sampson. “Just his whole personality. He didn’t really say much, but his presence always helped.”
Mbah a Moute had seven points (3-4 fg) and four rebounds in 22 minutes against the Sixers. The Clippers improved to 14-5 in games that Mbah a Moute has started this season.
Next Up:
The Sixers return to The Center for the first time in almost two weeks, when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves (12-22) at 7:00 PM on Monday. The contest will mark both the start of a season-long six-game homestand, and the second time that two of the NBA’s Rookie of the Year front-runners face one another. While Minnesota posted a come-from-behind, 100-95, victory over the Sixers at Target Center on November 23rd, it was Jahlil Okafor who had the upper hand over Karl-Anthony Towns. Okafor, the third overall selection in this past June’s draft, tacked on 25 points and 12 rebounds. Towns, the top pick in 2015, was saddled with personal foul trouble, and managed a then-season-low six points, and two rebounds. Timberwolves small forward Andrew Wiggins, the reigning Rookie of the Year, paces his club with 20.6 points per game.
