After seemingly taking control of the game in the third quarter, the Phildelphia 76ers fell back into their bad habits.
The Philadelphia 76ers once again looked like a young, inexperienced team tonight. They took a commanding lead midway through the third quarter, only to allow Portland to storm back at the start of the fourth.
The fourth quarter was an absolute nightmare, as Portland outscored Philadelphia 42-25. The Sixers kept their turnovers relatively low for the first three quarters, and then naturally coughed up the ball 5 times in the final quarter. Lazy decision-making and stagnant offense have become a cornerstone for this team late in games.
Robert Covington left the game with a hand injury in the third quarter, and the team felt the effects of his absence on the defensive end. The whole team looked sluggish during Portland’s run, and the defensive effort was severely lacking.
The Trail Blazers definitely deserve a ton of credit for pulling out a huge comeback win without Damian Lillard. C.J. McCollum was brilliant tonight, putting up 34 points and shooting 14-14 from the free throw line.
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For the Sixers, it’s another disappointing loss after a promising 36 minutes to start the game. Let’s hope they can get past these growing pains in 2018.