GRADES: Simmons’ career night not enough for Sixers to silence Jazz
The Sixers dropped their third straight game to close out their west coast swing as Joel Embiid sat with a stiff back. Utah makes it 19 out of 20 as they stretch their lead for the best record in the NBA.
In pregame warmups, Joel Embiid’s back tightened up on him and resulted in him taking the night off. Mike Scott replaced Embiid for spacing as Dwight Howard would come off the bench.
Without Embiid, Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons needed to step up… and so they did. Simmons poured in 19 points on only seven shots in the first quarter (a career-high in a quarter). Harris contributed 14 himself in the quarter as the duo helped Philadelphia take a lead in the first 42-35.
The second quarter flipped the script as the bench took the floor. Howard and Tyrese Maxey tried to keep the Sixers in the game as they combined for 13 points to start the first half of the second quarter. A Howard alley-oop gave Philadelphia a 55-49 lead.
The rest of the quarter, however, was all Utah. A Simmons tip-shot with 1:30 remaining ended the run, but those five minutes in-between produced anemic offense by Philadelphia and a diverse attack from Utah to the tune of a 18-4 run.
Utah entered the half leading 72-66.
The second half began much like the first quarter for Philadelphia. Simmons added 13 more points and Harris chipped in nine. Unfortunately for Philadelphia, Jordan Clarkson chose to have a career-night as well. Clarkson scored 13 of his 40 points and three of his record eight 3-pointers during the third quarter.
Utah stretched their lead in the period and entered the fourth quarter with a decisive lead, 106-94.
Philadelphia worked Utah in the fourth quarter to make them lay it out, but it just never got close enough. A Howard tip-in with four minutes remaining closed the lead to 126-121, but that would be the closest Philadelphia would come before Utah eventually took the game, 134-123.
A+. <strong>38 mins | 42 pts | 9 reb | 12 ast | 1 stl | 1 blk | 4 TO | 15-26 FG | 0-0 3PT| 12-13 FT | 2 PF | -5 |</strong><p>Wow. Simmons had the game all Philadelphia fans had been clamoring for. Without Embiid, Simmons was attacking all night with constant pressure on the rim and filling the entire box score. On a career-night offensively, Simmons continued to harass the opposing team’s best players. Simmons went toe-to-toe with the West’s top team without Embiid. A loss is a loss is a loss, but Simmons performance will mean more to Philadelphia fans than a random February loss.</p>. PG. Philadelphia 76ers. BEN SIMMONS
A. <strong>37 mins | 36 pts | 10 reb | 2 ast | 2 stl | 0 blk | 0 TO | 14-24 FG | 3-5 3PT| 5-5 FT | 3 PF | -11 |</strong><p>Harris just continued his campaign to earn his first all-star bid. If the season ended today, Harris would be a member of the exclusive 50/40/90 club and would do so on better than 20 points a game. This season has been Harris move from “is he an all-star snub” to “he’s an all-star”. The man continues to be consistently great every night.</p>. PF. Philadelphia 76ers. TOBIAS HARRIS
C. Philadephia 76ers. DWIGHT HOWARD. B+. <strong>26 mins | 14 pts | 12 reb | 0 ast | 0 stl | 1 blk | 1 TO | 5-8 FG | 0-1 3PT| 4-6 FT | 4 PF | -7 |</strong><p>Howard had both a good and troubling night. We will start with the good. Howard contributed a double-double off the bench and is undoubtedly better than Philadelphia’s options last season. The bad is that Doc Rivers clearly tries to separate Howard and Simmons playing time. When the playoffs come around, Simmons will be important in minutes Embiid rests. If Howard isn’t playing with Simmons, then perhaps other options should be explored.</p>
Philadelphia 76ers. DANNY GREEN. D+. <strong>29 mins | 3 pts | 4 reb | 1 ast | 0 stl | 0 blk | 1 TO | 1-6 FG | 1-4 3PT| 0-0 FT | 4 PF | -10 |</strong><p>Danny Green was abysmal. Green continues to work hard on defense. By all accounts, he is a tremendous locker room player and person. Unfortunately, the game isn’t scored off the court. Green has been trending down for some time and the performances are beginning to stack up.</p>. SF
D+. <strong>17 mins | 6 pts | 1 reb | 0 ast | 0 stl | 0 blk | 2 TO | 2-3 FG | 2-2 3PT| 0-0 FT | 3 PF | +1 |</strong><p>Scott is an end-of-the-bench stretch four. If he’s allowed to come in the game, fire up a couple triples, and then sit back down he should be fine. When Embiid is out and more is asked, his flaws become more apparent than his value. This is life for many NBA players. Philadelphia wishes it wasn’t the case for someone who unfortunately gets thrown into the lineup.</p>. C. Philadelphia 76ers. MIKE SCOTT
Utah will look to continue their winning ways in a big Western Conference showdown as they’ll travel to LA to take on the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. Philadelphia will be aiming to right the ship following three straight losses in a Daryl Morey revenge game as the team hosts the Houston Rockets on ESPN, Wednesday.
Sixers player rankings 2/15. dark. Next