The 76ers are a team in trouble. They trailed by 50 points in the fourth quarter in a loss to the Chicago Bulls.
The defensive downfall continued into the second quarter, surrendering 36 points in the frame as the Bulls shot 52% from the field and 40% from deep in the first half. With Chicago’s athletic wings and savvy passers in Josh Giddey and Coby White, they were able to get anything they wanted consistently within the first 12 seconds of the shot clock.
Now that we’ve reached the All-Star break, we have the benefit of a half-season of hindsight to revaluate the Sixers’ offseason moves. While it initially looked like the Sixers had a home run of a summer — they were routinely mentioned among the offseason’s biggest winners — many of those moves haven’t panned out quite as expected.
The extent of the Sixers' defensive miscues in their blowout loss to the Boston Celtics on Thursday night was brutal.
A Sixers official said late in the third quarter that both Yabusele (contact to both eyes) and Quentin Grimes (right knee soreness) would not return. For the Bulls, Lonzo Ball (head laceration) was ruled out at halftime.
Their loss to the Celtics was no different than most this season. The Sixers struggled with their perimeter defense and rim protection.
Nic Claxton scored 16 points and tipped in the winner as time expired, Cam Johnson had 23 points and the Brooklyn Nets edged the Philadelphia 76ers 105-103.
George said he won’t shy away from the challenge of playing with Embiid. The 34-year-old said he looks forward to challenges, so he’s going to embrace this one and try to figure it out. The duo is trying to figure out a way to get George involved through more communication throughout games.