76ers embarrassed by Nets in final game before All-Star break

To what should be no one’s surprise, the Sixers have lost to the Brooklyn Nets 100-96 in Brooklyn. This season has been nothing but turmoil for Philadelphia and nothing changed in this defeat.

The 76ers now move down to 20-34 on the season, have lost their 5th straight game, and are tied with Brooklyn for the 11 seed in the NBA. Brooklyn improves to the same record.

The Sixers were missing Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey in their matchup in the Barclays Center and probably would have been better off without Paul George.

In PG’s 37 minutes of playing time, he put up an abysmal 2 points to go along with his 4 assists and 6 rebounds. To George’s defense, he did have 2 steals and 3 blocks but 2 points is not acceptable. There are NBA players who can legitimately play 2 minutes in a game and still score more than Paul George did in 37. George’s consistent struggles and embarrassing performances have made it hard to believe that he will stay with this team in the long term. It has also been a huge reason why Philadelphia is playing as badly as they are.

In Jared Butler‘s first showing in the starting lineup, the guard acquired from Washington had a decent game. Butler scored only 8 points but was able to make his impact through sharing the ball. He had 9 assists and 2 rebounds, as well as 2 blocks to go along with his low-scoring night.

Quentin Grimes, on the other hand, was outstanding. Grimes was without a doubt the best player on the court, scoring a game-high 30 points. He showed great poise, especially for being with a new team. Grimes added 9 boards and 4 assists in his excellent outing and showed great upside in his first few games with Philly. He also made his mark defensively, snagging 2 steals and a block. If Philadelphia is to go into rebuild mode and commit to youth, Quintin Grimes absolutely should still be on the squad if he is to keep up what he has been doing to start his career in South Philly.

Along with Grimes, Kelly Oubre Jr. had a great game offensively. Oubre put up 30 points in 16 shot attempts, nailed all 8 of his free throws, and had only 1 turnover. Now, Oubre didn’t pass the ball much as he accounted for 0 assists, but his dominant scoring really showed how he is giving his all.

The rest of the team was quiet on the offensive end. Justin Edwards had a decent game off the bench with 13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals, but other than that nobody showed up to play. The defense was fine in Barclays, allowing the Nets to just 100 points. However, Oubre Jr. and Grimes were given no help offensively, leading to the inevitable loss.

The Sixers, who as stated before are on a 5 game losing skid, head into the All-Star break a defeated team. Few players have shown any success and some downright don’t play. Embiid has lost the support of his fans and George never even did anything to gain it.

The final 28 games of the season will mean something for this team. The Sixers currently have the 7th worst record in the NBA and keep their draft pick if it falls into the top 6 in the draft. The play-in is still available for the 76ers, but with no hope for any success any further than that, it may not be worth it to pursue it. Philadelphia basketball has reached a new low that hasn’t been seen since the Sam Hinkie and early Bryan Colangelo days.

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