The Sixer Sense
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Philadelphia 76ers Rally, Ultimately Lose to Houston Rockets 118-104

By Rob Bauer

Mar 9, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) attempts to pass against the defense of Philadelphia 76ers guard Ish Smith (1) and guard Hollis Thompson (31) during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The Rockets won 118-104. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 9, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) attempts to pass against the defense of Philadelphia 76ers guard Ish Smith (1) and guard Hollis Thompson (31) during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The Rockets won 118-104. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Philadelphia 76ers came close with a late run, but couldn’t overcome the Houston Rockets, losing 118-104.

Once upon a time, if a player at the Wells Fargo Center went for 29 points on 31% shooting with 13 made free throws, it was likely Allen Iverson. Unfortunately for the Sixers, it was James Harden doing the scoring in this one.

Harden led all scorers in this game as his Houston Rockets beat the Philadelphia 76ers 118-104. Dwight Howard chipped in 21 points and 18 rebounds, while Patrick Beverley fueled the Rockets in the 1st half, scoring all of his 16 points before intermission. Ish Smith led the Sixers with 21 points and 5 assists, although he also turned the ball over 6 times.

It was an up-and-down game for the Sixers in this one, as they took a strong 9 point lead early in the 2nd quarter behind strong play from Nerlens Noel and some nice early shooting from Robert Covington and Isaiah Canaan. That lead quickly evaporated as the Sixers turned the ball over repeatedly and endured an almost 5 minute scoring drought heading in to the half. Despite even having the Rockets in the penalty with almost 6 minutes to go in the 2nd, the Sixers could not capitalize. At the break, the 9 point lead had flipped to a 9 point deficit, and the Sixers had already committed 13 turnovers.

The Rockets got a nice boost in the 2nd quarter not only from Pat Beverley’s hot shooting, but also from our dear sweet friend K.J. McDaniels. Remember him? In what could only be viewed as giving his player a chance at revenge, J.B. Bickerstaff played K.J. a season-high 18 minutes. And he made sure use those minutes to remind us why we liked him oh so much once upon a time. McDaniels had 10 of his 12 points in that 2nd quarter run.

The Sixers actually found themselves down only 2 points with only a few minutes to go in the game, but a couple clutch 3s from Jason Terry and some big boards by Dwight sealed the deal. Honestly, the game was closer than the final score indicated, and the Sixers played well on the offensive end. They had six players in double-digits, shot 36% from deep with 12 made threes, won the assists matchup 23-22 and only lost the battle of the boards 45-42 despite Dwight’s big game. As one might have expected with Jahlil Okafor sidelined again due to a sore knee, Nerlens shined, going for 17 points and 9 boards with two apiece in steals and blocks.

The difference in this one really came down to the free throw line, with the Rockets both taking and making nine more free throws. Just like AI before him, James Harden is a master of breaking down the D, getting in the paint, and drawing contact to get to the line, going 13-13 from the stripe tonight. He put Nik Stauskas on skates at one point, turning him left, then right, then running right into him en route to picking up an and-1. The Sixers had no perimeter defensive solution to stop The Beard from doing what he do.

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The Sixers have now lost 13 straight games, and stand at 8-56 overall. With two out of the next three games agains the Brooklyn Nets, it sure would be nice to push past that 9 win mark and squash any potential talk about tying that infamous 9-73 season. Because once that chatter begins, one would have to assume the pressure will really build on the Sixers.