GRADES: Utah Jazz 106, Philadelphia 76ers 104
By Sam Coltrane
The Philadelphia 76ers drop their second straight as the Utah Jazz pull out the victory 106-104.
The Philadelphia 76ers took the court with their cornerstone big man, Joel Embiid, back in the lineup only to see their franchise point guard, Ben Simmons, leave the game with a shoulder injury 10 minutes in.
In today’s version of a defensive matchup, Utah proved to be the victor on the back of solid rebounding. For much of the first half the game was back and forth. Philadelphia carried a three-point lead after the first quarter, 29-26.
In an otherwise untumultuous half of basketball, Simmons backed down Jazz defender Royce O’Neal only to hit his shoulder awkwardly and force him to miss the remainder of the game. Current word is that Simmons suffered a minor AC joint sprain and is expected to be reevaluated in Denver.
The second quarter maintained the back-and-forth nature as Utah claimed a two-point lead entering the half, 58-56.
The third quarter is when Utah decided to open the game up. Behind great defense, and some poor shooting by Philadelphia, Utah built out their lead to 11. A 12-2 run led by Donovan Mitchell sparked the difference entering the fourth quarter with a score of 73-84.
The fourth quarter lead by the Jazz seemingly proved too much for Philadelphia. Without Simmons running the point, the quarter consisted of a slower pace and a barrage of Embiid post-ups. After back-to-back possessions resulting in four consecutive made free throws by Embiid, the Jazz only led by two-points, 103-101.
However, that lead would only extend as Bojan Bogdanovic came down the next possession and buried a three-pointer in what would prove to be the game-winner.
Inc.. <strong>10 mins | 2 pts | 1 reb | 2 ast | 1 stl | 0 blk | 0 TO | 1-2 FG | 0-0 3PT| 0-0 FT | 0 PF | -7 |</strong><p>Simmons struggled to create downhill momentum against a vaunted defense early in the game. Utah suffocated the court and kept the driving lanes closed. His lack of jumper didn’t prove futile, but instead it was his shoulder. Simmons can only receive an incomplete on the performance.</p>. PG. Philadelphia 76ers. BEN SIMMONS
F. <strong>28 mins | 7 pts | 4 reb | 2 ast | 2 stl | 1 blk | 1 TO | 3-14 FG | 1-4 3PT| 0-0 FT | 0 PF | -11 |</strong><p>Horford will always provide value as a high I.Q. defender who is constantly in the right place mucking things up for his opponent. Tonight was some of the same, but it also was one of his worst games of the year. Poor shooting, limited rebounding, and a weak +/- drive his failing grade.</p>. PF. Philadelphia 76ers. AL HORFORD
B+. <strong>35 mins | 27 pts | 16 reb | 3 ast | 0 stl | 2 blk | 3 TO | 5-16 FG | 1-5 3PT| 16-18 FT | 5 PF | +7 |</strong><p>Embiid further showcased the superstar that he is by carrying the burden on his first game back from suspension. Despite a poor shooting night from the field, Embiid poured in 27 points and 16 rebounds due to a strong free throw performance. In a seemingly off night, Embiid shouldered the load and fouled out the reigning DPOY, <a href=. C. Philadelphia 76ers. JOEL EMBIID
A-. <strong>34 mins | 24 pts | 4 reb | 4 ast | 3 stl | 0 blk | 1 TO | 8-13 FG | 2-6 3PT| 6-6 FT | 3 PF | +11 |</strong><p>Perhaps not the dominant effort like Embiid, but Richardson still creeps his way into an A-level grade. Richardson was hounding Mike Conley as he chipped in three steals to an already diverse box score. His 24 points were a season-high. The current campaign hasn’t progressed the way Richardson would have hoped, but perhaps some time without Simmons will allow him to explore the offense through heightened playmaking the way coach Brett Brown has seemingly been posturing for.</p>. SG. Philadelphia 76ers. JOSH RICHARDSON
PG. Philadelphia 76ers. RAUL NETO. A-. <strong>30 mins | 11 pts | 3 reb | 4 ast | 3 stl | 0 blk | 4 TO | 5-11 FG | 1-2 3PT| 0-0 FT | 2 PF | +9 |</strong><p>All Neto did was come in and play 30 unsuspecting minutes while chipping in a seemingly efficient 11 points and facilitating the offense. Again, the game wasn’t perfect, but for a castaway and afterthought, Neto must be given credit for his early season play. Look for him to get the start Friday in Denver.</p>
Philadelphia will look to bounce back Friday in Denver as they have dropped the last two on their West Coast swing.
Next. Rotations that are working well so far. dark
Unfortunately, they will probably be doing so without their All-Star point guard, Simmons.