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The Philadelphia 76ers fell short to the Houston Rockets on Thursday night 113-102 as they dropped their third straight at a critical time on the NBA calendar. The loss dropped Philadelphia two games back of the Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks for the sixth and final guaranteed playoff spot in the East and now a full game back of the Orlando Magic for the No. 7 seed.
With Joel Embiid sidelined due to appendicitis surgery, Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 23 points and five assists, VJ Edgecombe had 21 points, eight assists, and six rebounds, Quentin Grimes had 20 off the bench, and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 16 points. Paul George finished with seven points and four rebounds.
Here are the three biggest takeaways from the loss to the Rockets:
The Sixers had a lot of trouble taking care of the ball in this one. Philadelphia had six turnovers in the first quarter, alone, leading to 12 quick Rockets points. They committed another five turnovers in the second quarter as the Rockets converted those into eight more points. George had four turnovers on the night while Maxey committed two turnovers as Philadelphia committed 16 turnovers as a team. The Sixers need those two to be the leaders of this team with Embiid sidelined for now. They have to be better to set the tone for Philadelphia.
This was the first real struggle game for George since returning from his suspension, and it was a tough one at the worst time. With Embiid sidelined and so much riding on these final games, George has to give more during this time. With two games remaining against two bad teams, George has to use both Indiana and Milwaukee as an opportunity to bounce back and find a rhythm again before things get going whether it’s the play-in (which is the likely outcome at this point) or the playoffs. He can't shoot 2-for-8 and 0-for-5 from deep in such a big moment.
The Sixers will have to figure something out with Embiid sidelined. He does so much for this group whether it's score at a high level, make plays for others, and control everything on either end of the floor. Philadelphia continues to rely so much on the 2023 MVP winner and it was obvious in the loss to the Rockets. Now, the final two games against the bad Pacers and Bucks will make life easier for the Sixers, but they will need to find a way to make things work while Embiid works his way back from yet another bizarre setback in his career.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: 3 biggest takeaways for Sixers following latest loss to Rockets
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With Joel Embiid sidelined due to appendicitis surgery, Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 23 points and five assists, VJ Edgecombe had 21 points, eight assists, and six rebounds, Quentin Grimes had 20 off the bench, and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 16 points. Paul George finished with seven points and four rebounds.
Here are the three biggest takeaways from the loss to the Rockets:
Turnover problems
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The Sixers had a lot of trouble taking care of the ball in this one. Philadelphia had six turnovers in the first quarter, alone, leading to 12 quick Rockets points. They committed another five turnovers in the second quarter as the Rockets converted those into eight more points. George had four turnovers on the night while Maxey committed two turnovers as Philadelphia committed 16 turnovers as a team. The Sixers need those two to be the leaders of this team with Embiid sidelined for now. They have to be better to set the tone for Philadelphia.
George struggles
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This was the first real struggle game for George since returning from his suspension, and it was a tough one at the worst time. With Embiid sidelined and so much riding on these final games, George has to give more during this time. With two games remaining against two bad teams, George has to use both Indiana and Milwaukee as an opportunity to bounce back and find a rhythm again before things get going whether it’s the play-in (which is the likely outcome at this point) or the playoffs. He can't shoot 2-for-8 and 0-for-5 from deep in such a big moment.
Filling in for Embiid
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The Sixers will have to figure something out with Embiid sidelined. He does so much for this group whether it's score at a high level, make plays for others, and control everything on either end of the floor. Philadelphia continues to rely so much on the 2023 MVP winner and it was obvious in the loss to the Rockets. Now, the final two games against the bad Pacers and Bucks will make life easier for the Sixers, but they will need to find a way to make things work while Embiid works his way back from yet another bizarre setback in his career.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: 3 biggest takeaways for Sixers following latest loss to Rockets
Continue reading...
