3 Biggest trends as the 76ers come up short in tight Summer League affair
The Philadelphia 76ers are making a habit out of closely contested affairs in Vegas. Monday night’s game came down to the wire with the protagonists having multiple opportunities to secure the victory. The team took the lead 92-91 with 2:13 seconds left in the game and Ricky Council IV extended the lead 94-91 at the 1:19 mark after converting a couple of free throws.
The next possession, Bona blocked a floater attempt by Bryce McGowens but a scramble for the loose ball resulted in an open three by Kennedy Chandler. He missed his attempt, but Donovan Clingan won the battle against Adem Bona for the offensive rebound converting a putback to bring the Trail Blazers within one with 54.1 seconds left.
On the next possession, Dowtin Jr. created space using Bona screens for an open three but was unable to convert. The loose ball found its way into McCain’s hands with thirty seconds left. Jared McCain milked the clock before using Bona’s screen to set up his mid range jumper to be blocked by the outstretched hands of Clingan.
A costly foul by Dowtin Jr. at the top of the key sent McGowens to the free throw line to retake the lead, but the 76ers had 7.3 seconds left to draw up a play. Unfortunately, whatever play was drawn up, never had an opportunity to develop as Clingan’s length disrupted McCains ability to inbound the ball resulting in a five second violation.
LIke clockwork, the 76ers come up short in Vegas
The game’s conclusion was far from decided as the 76ers still had plenty of time to work with, down by three with seven seconds left after McGowens converted his free throw attempts. The Trail Blazers then fouled Dowtin Jr. shortly after the inbound to prevent him from taking a three-point shot to tie the game.
He made the first and missed the second resulting in a mad scramble to recover the ball. Keve Aluma tracked down the ball, saving it from going out of bounds by passing it to McCain. McCain had one more opportunity to steal the victory with one last heave, but off-balance while attempting his shot resulted in an off-target attempt.
It was a highly contested game, and certain patterns are presenting themselves as the Summer League proceeds. We’ll briefly discuss what trends are developing.