The Philadelphia 76ers failed to seal up their second consecutive win against the Los Angeles Clippers, falling in overtime 98-92.
The Philadelphia 76ers continue to be the one of the best teams in the league at getting games handed to them and still losing them.
The Los Angeles Clippers came into Monday night’s matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers tired from playing just the day before on the road in Miami, and it showed. The Clippers fell behind early, trailing the Sixers by 3 at the end of the first quarter. All throughout regulation, the Clippers didn’t lead after they got the first basket of the game.
Slowly and slowly, however, the Clippers chipped at the Sixers lead and got themselves back in the game, and by the time the fourth quarter came around, the game was getting very interesting. In the end the Sixers failed to use the Clippers tiredness to their advantage to win consecutive games for the first time this season.
The Sixers forced several turnovers early, but the Clippers kept their game total low at 12, which was right on target with their impressive average so far this season. Chris Paul had 19 points and 4 steals, J.J. Redick had 23 points and 3 3-pointers, and DeAndre Jordan had a double double with 21 rebounds by the time the night was over.
For the Sixers, the scoring effort was sprinkled among several players. Robert Covington, Jahlil Okafor, Ish Smith, Jerami Grant, and Hollis Thompson all had double figures. Nerlens Noel had 4 steals, 4 assists, and 9 rebounds.
More from The Sixer Sense
- 3 Sixers players who could help Team USA Basketball
- 76ers 2k24 ratings: 3 most underrated players on Philadelphia roster
- 76ers head coach Nick Nurse bares lofty plans for Paul Reed this season
- Grade the Trade: 76ers swap Tobias Harris for superstar PG in mock deal
- Sixers Podcast: Danny Green returns + James Harden bombshell
The Sixers started this game shooting efficiently, but ended shooting just 37.8 percent from the field. This game wasn’t good shooting from either side, as the Clippers shot just 36.8 percent from the field. Both teams shot below 25 percent from beyond the arc.
It was an overall very sloppy, defensive geared game. The Clippers had 4 blocks total, and 3 from DeAndre Jordaan. They stole the ball from the Sixers 12 times.
Jerami Grant was impressive on the boards with 11 rebounds, 4 of those coming on the offensive end. He was the only Sixer remotely keeping pace with Jordan’s 20-plus rebounds.
Ish Smith was good in his first game back coming off of a sprained ankle. He played 33 minutes, bringing in 16 points, 5 assists, and 9 rebounds. T.J. McConnell, who had the game of his career in the last game slowed down scoring just 4 points, dishing 4 assists, and bringing in 3 rebounds.
Overall, this game was not much of anything new from the Sixers. They failed to close out a game that they should have won yet again, and couldn’t sustain leads down the stretch. Overtime continues to be a struggle for the team, as they’ve lost each and every overtime game that they’ve appeared in so far this season.
The only notable change was that Brett Brown was using Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor a lot at the same time, just as he did last game. It worked well in the previous game, but on Monday it wasn’t quite as effective as Nerlens couldn’t score as much as he did before. He had several missed opportunities with lobs from T.J. And Ish.
Okafor continues to show he can succeed in the front court in either position, and score no matter what he is asked to do.
This was an ugly game from both sides, and one that both teams will be trying to forget about soon.
The Sixers had several notable in actives during this game. Carl Landry, Richaun Holmes, and JaKarr Sampson all sat for the games entirety.
Next up for the Sixers is the Sacramento Kings, their last game before the All Star break.