Game 1: Monday, Nov. 18, 2024
Philadelphia 76ers at Miami Heat
Final Score: MIA 106 – PHI 89
In what has been a bit of an unfortunate trend, the Sixers again started out well before falling apart in the second half. Part of that can be attributed to Embiid’s struggle to get game-fit after a lengthy absence. As per usual this season, Embiid started out fine, going 4/6 from the field. In the second half, he scored just two points of ⅖ shooting. In fact, everyone but Jared McCain couldn’t buy a bucket in the second half.
McCain has been basically the only reason to have hope this season, as he dropped 20 points on 50% from the floor. The non-McCain starters ended up 15/39. Paul George, who is a career 38% shooter from deep and hit 41% last year, is in one of the worst slumps of his career. He was 1/7 in this one and is shooting a dismal 28% from three-point range this year. If you take out the one game he shot well, going 7/11, it paints a truly horrendous picture. Embiid still hasn’t had a full game where he plays well, which is a far cry from last year.
On the other side, Jimmy Butler had his best game of the season, scoring 30 points on 8/12 shooting and 13/13 from the charity stripe. Butler has really kept a chip on his shoulder when it comes to the Sixers, and he was unstoppable in this one. The Sixers have really dug a real hole for themselves. The one saving grace is the fact that the play-in exists, and the East is fairly weak.
Sam Navarro/Imagn Images
Game 2: Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024
Philadelphia 76ers at Memphis Grizzlies
Final Score: MEM 117 – PHI 111
This was a good news, bad news game. The good news is that Embiid finally looked close to his normal self. He had 35 points on 11/21 shooting. It was a fairly even performance in both halves, much better than the disappearing act in the second Embiid had been doing. That being said, Embiid did settle for mostly jumpers in the second half. He is a good mid-range shooter so there are games where it works well, but it’s still somewhat concerning. Another way to illustrate that is the uptick in threes. He’s taking an extra one per game from his career average, and he’s making the least of his career. It’s also disturbing that even settling for so many jumpers was still too much for Embiid’s knees to take, as he was forced to miss the next two games.
The comes the bad news. Paul George re-injured his knee, although it looks like he avoided anything too bad. Tyrese Maxey also looked poor in his return from injury in his limited minutes. At least McCain looked good, as he has since getting real minutes. He scored another 20 on efficient shooting, and enough cannot be stated about how deep his bag looks. Guerschon Yabusele also had another good game. He’s often been a bright spot along with McCain, although not as consistent. He hit ⅚ from three and has been a 42% shooter from out there so far this season. That’s far beyond what the Sixers could have hoped for.
The Grizzlies were without Ja Morant, but to be fair, that’s a state they are fairly used to at this point. The Grizz, especially their bench, shot well from three. Jaren Jackson Jr and Desmond Bane both scored over 20, but the game was close throughout for the Sixers. In terms of how bad some of their losses have been recently, it’s far from the worst.
D’Angelo Connell/Tri-State Defender
Game 3: Friday, Nov. 22, 2024
Brooklyn Nets at Philadelphia 76ers
Final Score: PHI 113 – PHI 98
Finally, a win. The Nets aren’t great, but they have a far superior record to the Sixers, and every win matters at this point. Missing Embiid and George, Maxey and McCain led the way and perhaps showed off what the future of the Sixers will look like. Embiid and George both don’t seem long for the league. That means this duo will be the face of the Sixers soon, and honestly, it looks pretty good.
What more can be said about McCain that hasn’t been said? The rookie of the year (it’s all but locked up already) scored 30 very efficient points, and joined good company. Maxey, in his first full time returning from injury also had a clean 26. With those two at the head, the rest of the Sixers role-players looked playable. Andre Drummond, back in his backup role, has been much better. Caleb Martin is the ultimate glue guy, but that requires a team to glue together, which he often hasn’t had. Yabusele was good again from three and has been rebounding despite his size.
They withstood a three-point barrage from Cam Johnson, who went 9/13 from deep and should really be on the radar for any contending team come the trade deadline. Beating the Nets isn’t the greatest accomplishment in the world, but it is one of three wins the Sixers have, so any victory feels amazing right now.
Game 4: Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024
Los Angeles Clippers at Philadelphia 76ers
Final Score: LAC 125 – PHI 99
After a high-flying win, the Sixers were dragged right back down to earth in the blowout loss to the Clippers. Yet again, a pathetic third quarter sunk them, and this trend has continued with any combination of players. It’s something that the full strength Sixers (if we ever see them) will need to figure out.
No George and Embiid again meant Maxey and McCain had to lead the way this time, and they were significantly less successful. McCain had his worst shooting night, but it was encouraging the way he dealt with it. With the jumper not falling, McCain forced his way inside and managed to get fouled a lot and made up his points on free throws. The greats are able to find success even when cold, and McCain showed a lot of maturity in that way. Maxey was similarly inefficient. Maxey’s 17 and McCain’s 18 led the Sixers, but that was on 8/28 from the field. That also led to McCain’s 20-point game streak ending.
Of course, that coincided with the Clippers being very hot from basically everywhere. James Harden led the offense well, as he has been doing in the playmaking phase of his career. He would’ve had an easy 23-point double-double if not for the massive lead. A hot team vs a cold team is how you get a 30-point blowout, and this game was not close from the jump.
Elizabeth Robertson/Philadelphia Inquirer
Weekly Musing: When is it too Late?
The Sixers are second to last in the East with a 3-13 record. Normally, that would be a pack-it-up type of season, but it doesn’t feel like things are over yet. The Sixers still haven’t had Maxey, Embiid, and George finish a game, and with McCain playing so well, it’s hard to believe a team of those four isn’t competitive.
The East is also extremely top-heavy, with the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers, and it is pretty awful after that. There are only four teams in the East with a winning record right now, so being the ninth or tenth seed is still very in reach. If they can sneak in with everyone healthy, then it does feel like the Sixers can do some damage. Of course, that’s a massive if, and they don’t have unlimited time to turn it around. It’ll be too late eventually, but right now, it still somehow feels okay.
Patrick Yen is a contributor on Back Sports Page. He has written for NBC, SB Nation and a few more websites in his journalism career. He has been the Back Sports Page beat writer for the Philadelphia 76ers and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Patrick, a graduate from the Ohio State University, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania but moved to Columbus, Ohio early in his life and has lived there ever since. You can find more of Patrick on Twitter @pyen117.
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