The Philadelphia 76ers got walloped in their second game of Joel Embiid’s latest absence.
With Joel Embiid missing his second straight game due to knee soreness, the Philadelphia 76ers hosted the Portland Trail Blazers for a Saturday matinee. The first half was largely positive, with the Sixers hanging around behind strong performances from Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris.
The Sixers’ star power was enough in the first half. Jimmy Butler scored the game’s first four points before giving way to Ben Simmons, who racked up 10 points and five assists in the first two frames. The latter also mixed up his shot profile, attempting some jumpers and a floater early on.
At one point in the second quarter, Harris went on a personal six-point streak, helping to keep the Sixers in contention despite a clear disadvantage on the glass and defensively. The Blazers were up just three points at halftime.
In the second half, things went south rather quickly. The Blazers started the third on an 11-4 run, which only snowballed in the following minutes. After Boban Marjanovic and Jonah Bolden underwhelmed in the first half, Brett Brown played Mike Scott and Amir Johnson at center — an adjustment with adverse effects.
Even with minor struggles, both Boban and Bolden were passable in the first half. Bolden’s combination of size and versatility was probably the best counter to Portland’s strong interior presence and elite pick-and-roll attack. Johnson and Scott were helpless on defense.
On the night, Portland won the offensive rebounding battle 19-7. The Sixers gave up too many second-chance points to keep pace with a healthier, deeper team. They lost the overall rebounding battle 53-33.
Despite the Blazers’ second half domination, the Sixers got one of Ben Simmons’ better games. He dropped 29 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists, going 11-for-17 from the field and hitting all but one of his eight free throw attempts.
Harris provided 20 points and eight rebounds of his own, giving the Sixers a few timely buckets in the first half. The Sixers were in solid hands offensively. It was defense that led to their demise, yet another strong reminder of Joel Embiid’s importance to the team.
It was a weird game for Butler, who scored just 15 points after an aggressive start to the afternoon. He scored the first four Sixers points and was active early, only the taper off as the game progressed.
There will be questions about Brett Brown’s usage per usual, but part of it comes back to Butler dictating his touches and his approach. He has shown on multiple occasions, for better or worse, that he’s willing to defer and act as a distributor.
The Sixers will be back at it Monday night against the Pelicans, who will presumably not be resting Anthony Davis.