The Sixer Sense
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Defensive Lapse Forces Philadelphia 76ers to Lose High-Scoring Game

By Josh Wilson

Feb 19, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Nerlens Noel (4) reacts during the second half of a game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the 76ers 121-114. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 19, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Nerlens Noel (4) reacts during the second half of a game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the 76ers 121-114. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Philadelphia 76ers continue to score more, but also continue to give up nearly 120 points, forcing them to lose games.

93. 124. 38. Final. 115

The Philadelphia 76ers have given up over 120 points to their last four opponents. Although I’m going to call this a “defensive lapse” I’m not sure “lapse” is a word that describes how bad the defense has been as of late. The defense is becoming consistently bad. Not that it was really “good” at any other point during the season overall, but giving up 120 points over and over is just downright embarrassing. The only good part is that the Sixers are starting to put themselves over 100 points, something they struggled to do earlier this season.

This was a game of runs for the Sixers. Although they had several times where they went on double-digit to low single-digit runs against the Orlando Magic, they also had several occasions where they didn’t score for well over 3 minutes of game time, which makes winning incredibly difficult.

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The Magic had 5 players in double-digit scoring in their high-scoring effort, including a season high 35 from Nikola Vucevic alongside 9 rebounds. They shot 48 percent from the field and 50 from beyond the arc, turning the ball over just 11 times. Aaron Gordon, the near dunk contest champion, had 11 points and 11 rebounds on the night.

It feels strange to say, “the Sixers lost this game,” looking at the Sixers stat sheet. I’m not going to lie, it’s impressive. Had you have shown me just the Sixers stat sheet, I would not be predicting that they lost this game. The Sixers had 6 players in double-digit points, they shot 54 percent from the field and 47 percent from beyond the arc.

It just goes to show how important playing defense actually is. Although I’ve been one who has stood behind Jahlil Okafor because he’s incredibly skilled offensively, and that’s ultimately what wins games, scoring a lot doesn’t work when the other team scores, well, even more than you.

Although many have pointed to Nerlens Noel as a reason the Sixers will win games because he “keeps the other team out of the basket with his blocking ability,” that’s simply not true. He had one block, and the Sixers had 4 blocks when the Magic had 2. I get it, blocks are important, but let’s be honest, no one is getting titled as a game changer for their amount of blocks in a single game, unless you’re Hassan Whiteside. And even if you are Whiteside, you’re doing more than just blocking, as he’s gotten a triple-double with blocks more than once this season.

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Noel did still have a big offensive game, scoring 16 points on well over 60 percent shooting, while also pulling in 11 rebounds. Noel had a high-scoring game with 17 points, but is still struggling to find an identity as a forward, a new development that the team is pushing. Brett Brown has now publicly said, despite his doubt with Okafor playing defense on frontcourt players with a range earlier this season. Okafor is still scoring well, but Noel seems to be playing better now that he’s back in his natural position. I’m curious to see how these two work together with their new position swap through the rest of the season.

Ish Smith had a good game with 22 points and 5 assists, with two huge 3-pointers. T.J. McConnell left the game with an ankle injury late, and it’s not clear if he’s going to be returning against Detroit in their next game.

Play of the night

Nik Stauskas had only 2 made baskets on the night, and this and-1 was certainly the most exciting.

The Sixers play again on Wednesday against the Detroit Pistons, which is a bit interesting since they recently were involved in a trade that was supposed to bring them the contract of Joel Anthony, who now is back with Detroit because the trade was voided by the Pistons. This was the move that ultimately caused the Sixers to lose JaKarr Samspon.