Philadelphia 76ers Struggle Late In Loss To Brooklyn Nets

The Philadelphia 76ers were unable to beat the Brooklyn Nets with some late-game struggles.

The Lack Of Talent Looms It’s Ugly Head Once Again

The Philadelphia 76ers put up a fight against the Brooklyn Nets, but ultimately fell short and were unable to get win number two on their record. Philadelphia’s reputation of having hard workers with little talent came though again, as the Sixers continually received open looks but could not convert, particularly in the first quarter where things started off horrendously. There always seems to be a time where the Sixers give up a huge run, without sparking one of their own, which ultimately dooms them. For the most part this year it has happened in the third quarter but this time the Sixers started off the game ice-cold.

Usually it’s the Sixers committing copious amounts of turnovers, but in the first half the Nets turned it over 12 times compared to 5 for Philly. This was the saving grace for Philly in keeping this from being a full-fledged blowout, with the Nets hitting 60% of their shots and was the only thing that kept the Sixers down only 8 after the second quarter. During that time, the Sixer offense was bogged down by poor play overall exemplified by the 13 point first quarter with zero made 3-pointers.

Fortunately, the tides turned in the Sixers’ favor in the third quarter as the Nets continued to cough the ball up with Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young giving it up 5 and 4 times, respectively, and the team ending the game with 19. This really helped the Sixers’ offense get going. Suddenly there was more flow and off-ball movement and fastbreak opportunities. Tony Wroten made the most of his 13 first half minutes with 9 points on 3/5 shooting, sparking the rally while on the floor. The Sixers actually lead after three quarters, highlighted by Jerami Grant‘s 6-0 run to end the quarter.

It’s too bad that games last for four quarters, where the Sixers ended up giving the lead back to the Nets, just as they have so many times this season. After sitting out much of the third due to foul trouble, Brook came back where he and Shane Larkin sparked the comeback.

Although foul trouble crept up on him again, BroLo solidified the defense and kept Jahlil in check before having to sit out. Shane was the main catalyst, providing 14 points on 5/10 shooting and jolting the energy back into the Nets and turned a close game into a wide-open one. The biggest indictment on Philly’s defense was that Andrea Bargnani came away with 23 points to lead the game. His move du jour tonight was the pump fake and if you asked me why any of the Sixers fell for them when Andrea has been shooting so poorly all year, I would have no answer.

The Sixers aren’t a talented enough team to give up these huge runs to teams, only to have to claw their way back. Coach Brown has to figure out a way to keep the team locked-in on both sides of the court all game for the Sixers to even have a chance.

Next: 76ers Owner Josh Harris Selling the Team?

Player of the Game

The only player that ended positively in +/- this game for the Sixers was T.J. McConnell, with +3. His play did pass the eye test as well, as he was able to set up the offense and knife into the lane a couple of times for easy buckets. He ended with 17 points on 6/9 shooting and 3 steals. Not bad for an undrafted point guard, eh?

Looking Ahead

The Sixers swing back to Philadelphia tomorrow night to face the Detroit Pistons. This will be an exciting matchup, where both Nerlens and Jahlil need to account for freak athlete Andre Drummond!