Philly Sports Jabronis
Report From Philadelphia 76ers
Game Recap: Clippers 98, 76ers 92 (OT)
Snapshot:
Against an opponent that had presented problems for them in recent years, the 76ers (8-44) made substantial strides, nearly enough to come up with a win. The Los Angeles Clippers (35-17) played just a little bit stingier second-half defense and delivered a few more timely shots in a scrappy overtime affair. Those factors combined to help the Clips post a 98-92 victory on Monday at The Center.
Entering the evening, Los Angeles had outscored the Sixers by an average of 33.3 points in the team’s previous four meetings. The Sixers, however, set the tone by racing out to a 21-9 advantage midway through the opening quarter. Their margin stood at 10 points, 59-49, at halftime.
Following intermission, the Sixers, which had converted 50.0 percent of their field goal attempts in the opening stanza, found their foe had increased its defensive focus. The Clippers surrendered only 13 field goals from the third frame through overtime, allowing them to steadily carve into a Sixers’ edge.
Once trailing by as many as 19 points, Los Angeles ultimately managed to slice its deficit to three points in the final minute of the fourth quarter. With 10.8 seconds to go, J.J. Redick was left alone on the perimeter, and the NBA’s leader in three-point shooting percentage promptly poured in a tying triple. Jahlil Okafor was unable to convert an elbow jumper on the Sixers’ ensuing possession, leaving the score tied, 88-88, at the end of regulation.
The veteran trio of DeAndre Jordan, Jamal Crawford, and Chris Paul served as the Clippers’ sparkplug in overtime, as the group combined to generate the extra period’s first eight points. The Sixers never got closer than four points the rest of the way.
The Sixers placed five players in double-figures. Jerami Grant registered the third double-double of his two-year career, collecting 17 points (6-7 fg) and 11 rebounds. Jahlil Okafor finished with 14 points (7-15 fg) and nine boards. Ish Smith (7-24 fg) and Hollis Thompson (5-9 fg, 4-6 3fg) both tallied 16 points apiece.
Redick and Crawford each produced 23 points for Los Angeles to share game-high scoring honors. DeAndre Jordan bulldozed his way to 21 rebounds and 12 points, putting up a double-double for the 31st time this campaign.
Brett Brown Said – On the defensive nature that Monday’s game took on following halftime:
“I give some of [Los Angeles] credit, and some of it we tried to do too much. Ish [Smith[ had the ball a lot, and tried to save the day. It was really hard to get good looks on them.”
Top Moments:
Jerami Grant gave the Sixers energy on both ends of the floor in Monday’s overtime loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. He was active off the bench early on, as displayed by the aggressive move he made on Los Angeles veteran Jamal Crawford that allowed him to finish strong at the rim.
Hollis Thompson has been the Sixers’ steadiest three-point shooting threat this season. He went into Monday’s contest with a team-best 38.7 field goal percentage from beyond the arc, and buried triples on successive possessions to widen the Sixers’ lead to 82-75 with just over seven minutes to play in the fourth quarter. Tom McGinnis provided the call on the Sixers Radio Network.
Notes and Quotes:
In the Sixers’ 103-98 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday, Jahill Okafor made history. At 20 years old, he became the youngest Sixer to ever record at least 22 points and 17 rebounds in a single game.
Okafor added another noteworthy achievement to his already impressive resume on Monday: bobblehead inspiration.
“Pretty cool,” Okafor said about the promotional item that was handed out at Monday’s game. “My family’s excited about it, so I have to get a few extra to give to them. ”
Okafor thought the collector’s item bore a pretty close resemblance to his actual likeness.
“I’d cut [my] beard if I could get it back,” Okafor said jokingly. “The beard in the bobblehead looks a lot better than it does in person.”
The last time an active member of the Sixers appeared in bobblehead form was during the 2011-2012 season, when guards Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams both had wobbly-noggin figurines created in their honor.
Okafor acknowledged that Monday’s giveaway presented him with an outlet to further connect with Sixers’ supporters.
“The fans have been great,” said Okafor. “They’re still coming every night, they’re passionate about what we do and how we play, and they just ask us to play hard, and that’s something that we should be able to deliver every night, and just going around the city, they’ve been great as well.”
Okafor nearly came away with his second straight double-double on Monday night. In addition to 14 point and nine rebounds, he swatted three shots for a second game in a row.
Left ankle pain forced Ish Smith to sit out Saturday’s contest against the Brooklyn Nets. The game was the first he missed due to injury this season, which he’s split between the New Orleans Pelicans and Sixers.
Monday, the explosive sixth-year point guard showed no visible signs of being hurt, as he put his signature speed on display throughout the night. That particular skill is the one that has distinguished him throughout his professional career, and also made Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers nervous.
“It’s a huge challenge,” Rivers said prior to Monday’s tilt when asked about having to deal with Smith. “Ish is just so darn fast. I wish you could trip him or something. He’s just fast. He’s quick and fast. He has both things going for him.”
Smith wasn’t the only member of the Sixers that drew praise from Rivers, who guided the Boston Celtics to an NBA title in 2008. Rivers also spoke about the performance of his counterpart, Brett Brown.
“Brett, he’s a terrific coach,” said Rivers. “It’s a great example, I think people make mistakes when they judge you by your record, sometimes. His teams play hard every night. To get your guys to execute and play hard and want to play for your team is masterful. It’s hard to do, it really is. On top of that, with all young guys.”
The Sixers, which played quality defense themselves, held the Clippers to 38.6 percent from the field, Los Angeles’ second-lowest mark this year.
Despite being shorthanded the last two weeks, Los Angeles hit the hardwood Monday in the midst of one of its better stretches of the season. The Clippers lost Blake Griffin to a fractured right hand after he reportedly punched a team employee on January 25th. Then, on February 3rd, Austin Rivers, Los Angeles’ second-leading scorer off the bench, broke his right hand as well. Still, the Clippers had won six of their previous seven games heading into their season finale against the Sixers. Brett Brown gave his take on how the Sixers’ opponent had managed not to miss a beat without key contributors.
“Let’s start with they play really good defense, and they steal balls, they block shots, and that type of team,” said Brown. “If you just start there, the Clippers do it with an elite [rim] presence in DeAndre [Jordan]. They lose somebody as good as Blake is, and the group gets a little bit tighter and stronger and get a little bit of appropriate fear and try to navigate through a big hit, losing somebody like that.”
While the Clippers might have to go without Griffin for at least another month, they still boast a dynamic point guard, who this weekend will appear in his ninth All-Star Game.
“They got you know one of my all-time favorites in Chris Paul, who is so alpha-dog competitive,” Brown said. “I’ve coached against him in Olympic games, I’ve coached him in All_Star Games, you see him navigating locker rooms, you look at his facial expressions. He is elite, he is elite. It all adds up under a really good into being something quite special.”
Although Paul did not have an efficient offensive showing Monday, knocking down only five of his 18 field goal attempts, he did emerge when it mattered most, assisting on Jordan’s dunk that opened the scoring in overtime. Two possessions later, Paul nailed a pull-up jumper that extended what wound up being a decisive 8-0 spurt for Los Angeles.
In addition to being without Griffin and Rivers, the Clippers also played without Paul Pierce on Monday. He was given the chance to rest, with Los Angeles completing a back-to-back set.
Next Up:
The Sixers’ final contest before the All-Star Game break is Wednesday at 7:00 PM EST, when they welcome the Sacramento Kings (21-30) to The Center. Sacramento is in the midst of a difficult stretch. For starters, the Kings on Wednesday will be playing their fourth game in six days, with all of these contests coming as part of an East Coast road trip. On top of its travel demands, Sacramento has also been struggling mightily on the court as of late, dropping four outings in a row, and eight of nine games overall. As a result of this slide, the Kings have slipped to 10th place in the Western Conference, and sit 4.5 games out of the conference’s eighth and final playoff qualifying spot. Sacramento’s rut has caused rumors to swirl about the job security of George Karl, who recently passed Phil Jackson to move into fifth-place on the NBA’s all-time head coaching wins list. Kings center DeMarcus Cousins is averaging a career-high 27.1 points per game, while also accounting for 11.2 rebounds per tilt. He was awarded a second straight All-Star Game bid two weeks ago. In their first meeting with Sacramento back on December 28th, the Sixers prevailed for a 110-105 victory.
