Sixers vs. Grizzlies takeaways: Not good enough vs. tougher competition without James Harden and Tyrese Maxey

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The 76ers looked like a team that will have a tough time beating a contender with James Harden and Tyrese Maxey sidelined.

They were also careless with the ball against the Grizzlies, and failed to match their effort in the paint.

Below is my look at three things that stood out during Friday night’s 117-109 Grizzlies victory at FedExForum:

The Sixers won three of four games when Joel Embiid, Harden, and Maxey were out with injuries. They defeated the Brooklyn Nets on Nov. 22 and swept a two-game series against the Orlando Magic on Nov. 25 and 27.

The Sixers (12-11) followed that by beating the Atlanta Hawks on Monday in Embiid’s return.

While those victories were solid, the true tests came Wednesday night at the Cleveland Cavaliers and Friday against Memphis. And the Sixers failed both of them.

» READ MORE: ‘Schedule loss’ comment puts Doc Rivers on the Sixers hot seat again. It shouldn’t.

Cleveland handed the Sixers their worst loss of the season. Meanwhile, the Sixers pulled within five points late after trailing by as many as 18 on Friday. But it never really felt like the Grizzlies’ victory was in doubt.

Could the losses simply be the result of not having Harden and Maxey while facing contending teams?

“It could be,” coach Doc Rivers said. “But I don’t want to use it as an excuse. We got to find a way to win. We know guys are out. But I’m never going to give us that. I’m just not. I refuse to. I thought this was a winnable game.”

The Sixers made mistakes on both ends of the floor. But Rivers liked the way they kept fighting.

The Sixers were lackadaisical and careless with the ball against the Grizzlies. That led to 13 turnovers, which Memphis (13-9) converted into 22 points. That’s an area where Harden would have helped out with his ball handling skills.

“We definitely miss some ballhandling,” Rivers said. “You could see that. But we knew that. So we just have to deal with it.”

» READ MORE: Sixers star Joel Embiid excited for James Harden’s return from foot injury: ‘We need a lot of help’

There were times when the Sixers would pass to teammates only for it to be deflected by Grizzlies and turned into a transition layup for Memphis.

At times, the Sixers look like a squad going through the motions. It was hard to say if they were fatigued or were just overpowered.

They had a 19-10 edge in offensive rebounds, a 60-48 scoring advantage in the paint, and a 25-11 second-chance points edge. The Sixers had no answers for Steven Adams, who finished game highs of 16 rebounds and three blocks. Ten of his rebounds were offensive boards.

“Adams is great,” Rivers said. “Give him credit. We even double-teamed him twice on the glass, and he still got them.”