GRADES: Sixers lay egg against shorthanded Blazers
By Sam Coltrane
The Philadelphia 76ers hosted the Portland Trail Blazers in a matchup featuring both teams missing their lead guard, with Portland also missing running mate CJ McCollum.
Without Ben Simmons on the court tonight for Doc Rivers and the Philadelphia 76ers, Furkan Korkmaz was inserted into the starting lineup. It also goes to mentioning that Seth Curry started, but left with an illness and did not return to the game.
The offense flowed early as the teams were even throughout the first quarter. Korkmaz showcased his play with ten points in the first helping Philadelphia to remain locked at 28-28 heading into the second quarter.
Speaking of, the second quarter played even as well. Portland’s offense functioned without its lead guards in a manner that highlighted much of the less glamorous value Simmons typically provides.
None of those things really mattered. The real story was Joel Embiid. He scored 25 points in the quarter in a myriad of ways as he took advantage of the less than phenomenal defender, Enes Kanter. Embiid continued his MVP campaign joining Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards as the only players with 25-point quarter this season.The teams went to the locker rooms for halftime all tied at 57-57.
The third quarter was all Portland.
Portland came out on a 13-0 run, spearheaded by an active Kanter as he scored six points across the three-minute run. Embiid would stop the run with back-to-back 19-foot jump shots, but the bleeding was far from over.
With several less than typical names getting time, Portland managed to stretch their lead winning the quarter 40-19 and thus taking a 97-76 lead into the fourth.
The Sixers started the fourth with a mini-run that brought the lead to only 15. Although, it would quickly prove futile. The offense stalled as Philadelphia’s three-point shooting let themselves down throughout the night. The team managed only six points in more than six minutes following an Embiid layup.
The game came to an end with Portland winning 121-105.
It shouldn’t go without mentioning that Portland, without their three best players (as Jusuf Nurkic was also out), received stellar performances from Carmelo Anthony in a throwback 22-4-5 performance and from Kanter who grabbed 18 rebounds, including seven offensive boards.
C. Philadelphia 76ers. JOEL EMBIID. B+. <strong>34 mins | 37 pts | 5 reb | 1 ast | 1 stl | 1 blk | 5 TO | 14-21 FG | 0-1 3PT| 9-9 FT | 1 PF | -23 |</strong><p>Embiid poured in 37 points. He did so on only 21 shots. The man is a nightmare on the block for opposing defenders. Tonight was a semi-disappointing night for Embiid. His MVP play is great, but it is the consistent, offensive domination that truly stands out. Despite all the praise, he looked tired on the boards, had only one assist, and five turnovers. Embiid has reached a level where this game is rather poor and Philadelphia can be thankful for that.</p>
B-. <strong>33 mins | 12 pts | 11 reb | 5 ast | 0 stl | 0 blk | 3 TO | 5-14 FG | 0-2 3PT| 2-2 FT | 3 PF | -26 |</strong><p>Harris played a poor game by his standards this year. It was also a game quite reminiscent of an expected sub-optimal game. He scored double figured, grabbed rebounds, and distributed the ball within the offense. Harris is a strong player who has improved every year while playing within different offenses. Tonight wasn’t a great game but it is also a reminder that he has a rather high floor.</p>. PF. Philadelphia 76ers. TOBIAS HARRIS
B-. 38 mins | 13 pts | 5 reb | 2 ast | 2 stl | 0 blk | 2 TO | 5-14 FG | 1-7 3PT| 2-2 FT | 1 PF | -3 |<p>Korkmaz came out of the gates hot before coming to a cooling hault. He showcased the type of subtle, flash-in-a-pan scoring he is capable of producing. That punch off the bench could turn playoff games for Philadelphia. Then the shots quit falling. Ultimately, if Korkmaz is starting in the playoffs, Philadelphia isn’t likely going far. As a bench scoring option, good things could await.</p>. SF. Philadelphia 76ers. FURKAN KORKMAZ
D. <strong>27 mins | 3 pts | 5 reb | 1 ast | 0 stl | 0 blk | 1 TO | 1-5 FG | 1-5 3PT| 0-0 FT | 1 PF | -17 |</strong><p>Danny Green was miserable. This is only an opinion, but he really ought to consider taking a break for a couple weeks heading into the de facto All-Star break. There is likely a fair amount of age decline showing in Green’s game. He actually utilizes athleticism much more than a conventionally thought of three-and-D wing. That could very well be it, but it could also likely be that he has played in back-to-back championships and is coming off the shortest offseason ever. A break could be good for young players and great for Green’s legs.</p>. SF. Philadelphia 76ers. DANNY GREEN
TYRESE MAXEY. B. <strong>21 mins | 15 pts | 2 reb | 4 ast | 1 stl | 0 blk | 2 TO | 5-8 FG | 2-4 3PT| 3-4 FT | 3 PF | -3 |</strong><p>Tyrese Maxey continued to impress as a bench scorer and active defender. On a less than stellar night, he reminded Philadelphia fans that he is good and the team is in a better direction that its been in some time.</p>. PG. Philadelphia 76ers
Moving forward, Portland will head to the Garden to face the New York Knicks on Saturday. Philadelphia will aim to get back on track in a matchup pitting one versus two in the Eastern Conference against one another as the Brooklyn Nets roll into the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday.
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