Sixers not quite in panic mode, but realize they must play with some ‘desperation’ going forward
As the 11th seed in the Eastern Conference, the Sixers are close to the midway point of the season and the same problems exist. Things aren’t about to get any easier, either.
ORLANDO — After being blown out at the Wells Fargo Center by the Milwaukee Bucks in the season opener, the 76ers showed early signs of a team in trouble.
But even though the Bucks did whatever they wanted, the Sixers told us to relax. They gave us the impression that the 15-point drubbing was just the result of not having Joel Embiid and Paul George to start the season and needing time to jell.
“It’s all about individually knowing your role and trying to do your best,” Eric Gordon said that night. “And also getting yourself acclimated even more with the team. Because when guys are out, you always have to worry about the long-term of it all.
“I know PG and Embiid are out. But we have to worry about the long-term goal and understanding we are still going to have a good team throughout the year.”
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But 35 games later, the setback on Oct. 23 appeared to be an indicator of who the Sixers (15-21) really are.
They’re a team heavily reliant on Embiid, whose availability is unreliable. His playing in just 13 games, combined with other injuries, has hindered the team’s ability to jell.
As a result, players are still trying to fully grasp their ever-changing roles. And their long-term goal of winning this season’s NBA championship doesn’t align with their current reality.
Friday’s embarrassing 123-115 home loss to the Western Conference’s last-place New Orleans Pelicans marked their fourth setback in six games. Their two victories during this stretch were against the depleted and lowly Brooklyn Nets on Jan. 4 and the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.
The tanking Wizards, who own the league’s worst record (6-30), were without seven players — including Jordan Poole — in their 109-103 loss to the Sixers. Meanwhile, Brooklyn (13-25) announced a couple of hours before facing the Sixers that its leading scorers, Cam Johnson and Cam Thomas, would be sidelined for an extended time.
Things got worse for Brooklyn before tipoff when Ben Simmons (left calf soreness) was scratched. D’Angelo Russell also missed the second half of the Sixers’ 123-94 victory with a bruised right shin.
Not counting Russell, the Nets were without seven players because of injuries.
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The Pelicans also were depleted on Friday, missing standouts Brandon Ingram (sprained left ankle), Herb Jones (torn labrum in his right shoulder), and Trey Murphy III (sprained left ankle) because of injuries. New Orleans also was without star forward Zion Williamson, who was serving a one-game suspension after being late for the team flight.
And just like Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard did to them on opening night, the Pelicans’ CJ McCollum’s three-point shooting terrorized the Sixers. The guard finished with a game-high 38 points while making 6 of 11 three-pointers.
Forward Jordan Hawkins also got in on the action, making 5 of 11 threes to finish with 21 points. And the Sixers’ defense faltered in the fourth quarter, when the Pelicans made 59.1% of their shots — which included 6 of 9 three-pointers.
“Obviously, this hurts,” Kelly Oubre Jr. said of the loss. “I’m very upset about this one. It shouldn’t happen, but it did. So we learn, we move forward, and we just make sure these type of things don’t happen again.”
But things aren’t about to get any easier.
The Sixers are in Florida to face the Orlando Magic at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Kia Center. The Magic (22-18) are looking to regroup from Friday’s 109-106 loss to the Bucks.
Orlando’s Paolo Banchero scored 34 points on Friday in his first game back after missing 34 games while recovering from a torn oblique muscle. Then after facing the Magic, the Sixers have a grueling home back-to-back against the Oklahoma City Thunder and New York Knicks on Tuesday and Wednesday.
These three games are the first of 11 remaining in January. Sixers coach Nick Nurse said he hopes Embiid, who is listed as questionable, returns Sunday after missing the previous three games with a sprained left foot.
All the talk that the Sixers might actually be contenders while they were winning 10 of 13 games in December has subsided after losing four of six games. However, the team will point out that Embiid has only played two of the last six games — a blowout loss to Golden State on Jan. 2 and the victory over the Nets.
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“We’re definitely better with Joel out there. That’s a fact,” George said. “We’re better with the big guy back in the lineup with us, but I think [Oubre] missed a game or two, and Kyle [Lowry] has been in and out. We’ve had a lot of guys in and out of the lineups during that stretch.
“But I think it comes down to us just playing a little faster. … I think we are getting in trouble playing in a slow style, half-court set.”
Nurse has been preaching that the Sixers need to get the ball up the court faster, play at faster pace, and be more active off the ball.
“That’s on us,” George said. “Going forward, that’s what we kind of got to do.”
The Sixers have talked all season about how improving their health, gaining continuity, and making tweaks will elevate their play.
Now, they’re close to the midway point of the season, and the same problems exist. As the 11th seed in the Eastern Conference, the Sixers remain the NBA’s biggest disappointment. If they don’t improve and get healthier, things could go south in a hurry.
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“It’s not panic mode, but there’s sort of a desperation that we need to start to play with and look at every game like it matters,” George said. “This point forward, every game matters. So I do think we do have to approach it in that manner because it’s not going to get easier.
“We lost tonight. Not going to discredit how they played tonight, but [New Orleans is] the team we should beat. And again, we got New York coming in. We got Oklahoma coming in. It’s not going to get any easier.”