3 observations after Sixers’ early-season misery deepens in loss to Clippers

3 observations after Sixers’ early-season misery deepens in loss to Clippers originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers’ early-season misery deepened Wednesday night.

They suffered a 110-98 loss to the Clippers at Intuit Dome, dropping to 1-6 through seven games, and Tyrese Maxey was ruled out early in the fourth quarter with right hamstring soreness.

The Sixers, Bucks and Jazz are now tied for the NBA’s worst record.

Norman Powell posted a game-high 26 points on 8-for-10 shooting and six assists. James Harden added 18 points and six assists.

In his first game against the Clippers since deciding to leave Los Angeles this summer and join the Sixers, Paul George had 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting and seven rebounds.

Joel Embiid served the first game of his three-game suspension for shoving Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes. Since the start of last season, the Sixers have gone 17-33 without Embiid.

The Sixers will complete their three-game West Coast trip Friday night against the Lakers. Here are observations on the team’s defeat Wednesday:

Woeful offense

George sunk his first two shots of the night, both from long range. He earned the first by grabbing an offensive rebound off a missed Caleb Martin free throw and nailed the second as the shot clock wound down.

George also hit his only two jumper attempts of the second quarter. It was not surprising that he had a far more efficient outing than his 4-for-14 Sixers debut Monday in a loss to the Suns.

In his second game back from a left knee bone bruise, George again did not play extended stints. As soon as he sat, Maxey dialed up the aggression. The Sixers very much wanted Harden switched on Maxey, a player he once showed many tricks of the trade. Maxey nailed a step-back jumper over Harden and darted to the rim for an and-one layup.

While Maxey and George’s talents shined in the first half, the Sixers’ offense was not at all exemplary. They had heaps of sloppy, out-of-sync turnovers — 10 in the first 15 minutes — and their half-court possessions often became stagnant and isolation-heavy. The Clippers held an 18-4 halftime advantage in…

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Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia

Publish date : 2024-11-07 06:19:00

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