The Sixers‘ comeback attempt in the fourth quarter came on Saturday night in Memphis short.
Trailing by 12 points recently, the Sixers fought back and finally had a chance to win the match after Ja Morant missed a free throw 5.9 seconds before the end. Ben Simmons pushed the ball up and passed to Therese Maxi at the top of the switch, the rookie was unable to turn an unbalanced attempt from a distance.
Joel Embiid (right knee pain) and Mike Scott (right knee pain) didn’t travel with the Sixers on this road trip. Seth Carey, Vincent Poirer (Health and Safety Protocols) and Forkan Korkmaz (left adductor strain) stayed out. Memphis regained a star in Morant, who played their first match since suffering a second-degree sprained left ankle on December 28 and scored 17 points and six assists.
We have to get away from that. This will be an exceptional year with COVID infections. Get over it and win the game. … We can’t accept, ‚Well, we’ll be good when everyone is here.‘ “ Said Artistic Director Doc Rivers. Unacceptable „.
As for Embiid, Rivers stressed that the Sixers are being cautious about the health of the All-Star.
„There is no worry … but when something appears, we will jump on it and be very smart at the start of the season.“
The Sixers‘ fourth game of the season will conclude Sunday night against Thunder. The following are notes of their loss to Memphis:
What do I do from Simmons night
As in the previous two games, Simmons didn’t create much for himself in the half-court attack, missed his first five goal scoring attempts and not even scored a single throw before 7:45 the end of the second half.
He also gave the ball away several times when he looked for transition opportunities and earned seven of 22 turns from the Sixers. On three of their losses, he turned the team 20 times or more.
Rivers said, „Not who played tonight, for me, it’s the way we played. I thought we were a neglected basketball team and when you play that way, you deserve to lose the game. On the road, 22 turns is unacceptable.“
“I would say 22, 15 were non-coercive – just dirty, driving in traffic, passes through the court, inside passes where they should have been out. And then I also thought we had a stretch where there was no ball movement tonight, either. I like the way we played. „
On a more positive note with the Simmons, he continued to contribute in other ways besides scoring, among which was rebound and easing. Obviously, any player who approaches a trilogy in every game they play is valuable and versatile, but the Sixers needed the Simmons to be better with the best offensive player. He tends to set the tone on these nights when an embed is sidelined, and his shifts define the wrong tone.
Simmons said, „Every night is different. I’ve got triples. The guys were loading paint and I was able to find my teammates. Tonight, they were very close at hand – lots of hands and distortions, causing fluctuations. That’s me just to slow down.“ And never let go of my feet. „
Simmons attempted to use three pointers for the second match in a row, attempting a long-distance air ball at the end of the first quarter and one in the fourth period.
After being listed again as a possible injury report Friday evening with swollen left knee, Simmons said his knee was not negatively affecting his performance.
He said, „No, I feel good.“ „Sometimes he tries to put my leg under me. We have a game in a row tomorrow so we’ll see how I feel. But overall, I feel tough.“
Rivers said before the match that the Sixers put on a „low percentage“ of plays that they would like to hold back in the end, although the team seems to have some actions they love when Simmons and Maxey partner. It was the third game in a row these two started together, and the Sixers hope the increased familiarity with the increased effectiveness will coincide.
One look we’ve seen on several occasions starting with Maxi doing the „Everson Cut“, which flushes alongside the pickup and wrap. Simmons often open to the weak side to receive the ball and attack paint with a vapor head. He missed a layoff period in the first quarter. The team played the play in the mix since pre-season, and Rivers seems particularly tempted to turn it on with Maxey-Simmons in tandem.
Overall, the Sixers‘ best attack this season was Embiid as the central character. Without him drawing double teams, finding shooters and forcing the defense into a scramble, the Sixers shot 7 to 25 from a range of three points.
Milton continues to thrive as a sixth man
When asked after shooting the Sixers on Saturday if he is looking to become an NBA player, Shake Milton pauses for a few seconds before giving this answer:
„I would say I just want to do whatever is best for the team, whatever helps the team wins. It doesn’t really matter whether I start or not. It’s an opportunity and I have a really good chance to get off the bench now. If Coach asks me to go to the start I’m going, and I’m not going to have any problem with that. If he asks me off the bench, I’ll keep doing what I do. It’s that easy. „
There is no good reason to change anything about Milton’s role at the moment. The 24-year-old is free to manage the Sixers‘ second unit and was excellent at the job. He scored 28 points on 10-to-18 shots on Monday, and he’s now got 102 points and has shot 63.6% of the pitch in the last four games.
Milton drew seven more free throws on Saturday. Upon entering the game, he was blocked on 15 percent of his shot attempts, each cleaning the glasses, At the 98th percentile among combo guards.
Rivers wants him to play with constant aggression.
Rivers said, „It’s funny for Shake, I think he was a great example early on, because he had a great game (Thursday), it was like trying to get into the game to get everyone involved.“ He said to him, „Shake, keep going. Keep your foot on the gas. Don’t hold your breath.“
„I thought he stopped himself in the first half. I thought that in the second half, he went for it again. And I want Shake to be this way every night no matter who is standing on the ground, in all situations, because that’s his ability, and I’m trying to make it up.“ See that. Every night he could shake Milton. Tonight, late, it was. „
Howard intervenes
Dwight Howard began Saturday night for the 1,048th time in his NBA career and the third time in the Sixer Championship. He should start again on Sunday against the Thunder Team Expected to be without Horford for personal reasons.
The 35-year-old has had some fine moments, including a throwback from Simmons‘ missed free throw and a tumultuous block on rookie Xavier Tillman, but the Sixers lose a lot on either side of the ground when Embiid is sidelined. Howard’s calling cards offensively at this point in his career are refreshing, sifting, and rolling. He is credited with doing these things to a high standard and passionately, and was a bargain on minimum veteran contracts.
As in the Sixers‘ loss to the Cavs last month, Rivers used Tony Bradley in the first half and then switched to Simmons as the center for the little ball when Howard sat in the third quarter. Bradley got minutes late in the third and early fourths, and he will likely have a chance to gain more confidence from his new coach on Sunday.
