Philadelphia 76ers: 5 reactions from scrimmage win over Memphis Grizzlies

The Philadelphia 76ers came back in style.

The Philadelphia 76ers’ first scrimmage inside the bubble was a success. Despite some second-half lumps, it was a dominant overall performance from a motivated — and healthy — Sixers team.  The result was a 90-83 victory for the “home team.”

In the grand scheme of things, this win doesn’t mean much. It’s a scrimmage, the game was played mostly at half-speed, and the Sixers’ core players were limited in playing time. Joel Embiid didn’t play any in the second half.

Still, there’s always room for takeaways and overreactions. So here they are.

5. Al Horford — yikes!

Yesterday, I wrote about my cautious optimism about Al Horford in his new role. He’s never going to touch the value of his contract, but in theory, he’s an elite reserve big who can anchor the defense, move the basketball, and provide veteran leadership on the floor.

The early results in Orlando, however, left a lot to be desired. Horford did manage five assists, but he scored only five points on 2-for-6 shooting and too alike the pre-hiatus Horford many fans came to despise. The blown open layup has become an unfortunate staple of the Horford experience.

It’s not too late for Horford to make amends and prove his worth. He will get plenty of opportunities, even as the sixth man. He’s still Al Horford, a cachet name with oodles of playoff experience. But this wasn’t the springier, quicker Horford some expected.