Sixers Blown Out by 16-Win Pelicans for 3rd-Straight Loss
New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) dunks against Philadelphia 76ers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
What looked like an opportunity to snap a three-game skid quickly unraveled for the 76ers, who fell 126–111 to the 14th-seeded Pelicans tonight. Without Joel Embiid, who missed another game with shin soreness, Philadelphia dropped to 1-7 in games he has missed this season, undone by a disastrous third quarter and a second-half shooting collapse.
The Pelicans came into this game after being blown out by 19 the previous night by the Milwaukee Bucks, in which they shot 4/25 from three. Against the Sixers, they shot 17/34. The Sixers had nine threes going into halftime. They then shot 3-24 from beyond the arc in the second half. The Sixers’ poor rotation of shooters they have on the bench has struggled mightily, and they finished 12-46 on threes.
The lack of effort was absolutely astonishing from the Sixers, as they cannot stop anyone in the paint whatsoever without Embiid. It’s hard when your two backup centers already have four fouls in the second quarter, and Andre Drummond also had a technical foul. 37-year-old and former Sixer DeAndre Jordan recorded six points with 15 rebounds and four blocks against both Drummond and Adem Bona.
Cam Payne scored his first points back with the Sixers, knocking down a three and finishing with five points in 13 minutes.
The Sixers started the third quarter hot and had an 11-point lead with 11 minutes left. But then the 3rd quarter problems that have been haunting them all season came back once again to haunt them. The Pelicans made a 10-0 run right after. The Sixers played poorly with Tyrese Maxey on the sidelines. At one point, when they could put the game to bed in the third, they were heading into the fourth trailing 97-91. They gave up 40 points and were outscored by 14 points. The Pelicans drilled six threes. Saddiq Bey and Jordan Poole shot nine out of their 17 threes tonight. Zion Williamson also added 21 points of his own.
The Sixers’ -17.5 net rating in third quarters is dead last in the league. The team ranked above them at 29 are the Utah Jazz, who are actively taking out starters in the fourth quarter in an effort to tank. The Sixers could definitely end the season as one of the worst third-quarter teams in the NBA, if not the entire NBA. It’s so odd that the Sixers, who are actively contending for a playoff spot, have been so bad in one quarter for so long, and it’s costing them games.
The Sixers didn’t end up making it a game after the disaster of the third. The Pelicans outscored the Sixers 29-20, with Jordan Poole going on a scoring spree with 13 points, putting the Sixers to bed.
Things can get really scary, really quick for the Sixers in the coming weeks, and it doesn’t seem like it’ll get any better. They play a much better team tomorrow night against the 35-22 Minnesota Timberwolves. If they don’t turn things around, they’ll be sitting at a five-game losing streak. Embiid’s status for the game is questionable.
Andrew Glover
Andrew is in his first year covering sports for Philly Sports Reports. He is a podcaster and a digital content creator. Right now, he is in his second semester at Temple University pursuing a degree in Media Studies and Production. He has a certificate in Broadcast Journalism from the Connecticut School of Broadcasting in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
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