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.
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.