Sixers Lose to Pelicans in New Orleans, Fall to 12-6

The 76ers fell to the Pelicans in New Orleans Wednesday Night in a 124-114 loss. This was a tough game for the Sixers to take control of, losing by 15 after just the first quarter. This deficit fell to 20 after the first half and again fell to 21 going into the 4th. Philadelphia was lucky that they lost by just 10 in a game that probably will be wanted to be forgotten. Tyrese Maxey‘s high-scoring game was not enough to stop Zion Williamson and his near-perfect shooting.

Philly now falls to 12-6 and rests as the 4 seed, but still only 2 games behind the 1-seeded Boston Celtics. Philadelphia seems to have fallen for the lethal trap game, seeming to be too focused on Friday and not enough on Wednesday.

What went wrong?

Zion Williamson was simply unstoppable as he shot an unbelievable 92% from the field, scoring 33 points. Williamson has been surprisingly healthy throughout the season so far and when the former number 1 overall pick is healthy, he is a force to be reckoned with. He shows shades of LeBron James with his finishing and has the build of somebody who should be in a ‘World’s Strongest Man” competition. This is definitely an improvement from the offseason when he was made fun of for his excess weight. If Zion can continue to stay healthy, the Pelicans will be a team to worry about in the West.

Joel Embiid‘s absence due to an illness really hurt the Sixers, as they had to resort to more mid-range and outside shooting due to the lack of presence in the interior. Having a 7-foot MVP whose biceps are bigger than your head is intimidating for defenders and lucky for New Orleans, they didn’t have to worry about that. Tyrese Maxey elevated to a more scoring-heavy role on Wednesday and that really hurt his assist numbers, putting up only 3. When Embiid comes back, this will be a different story as Maxey loves to feed him.

The 76ers take on the 1-seeded Boston Celtics on Friday Night. This will be the 3rd time they will meet this year and this is one of their bigger contests against them. The Sixers lie only 2 games behind Boston in the Eastern Conference standings and this could be a big win to move up in seeding. Not only this but with both Boston and Philadelphia being top teams in the East, a win for Philly could be big for tiebreakers later in the season.