he 76ers returned home after a short, winless road trip only to face the Western Conference leading Trail Blazers on Saturday night. As if they haven't been suffering enough, losing five in a row prior to this matchup, the Sixers were blown out on their home floor against Portland's hot shooting. The 76ers would lose their sixth straight game with a final score of 139-109.
Philadelphia's league worst defense in terms of points allowed certainly did not surprise anyone against the Trail Blazers' dynamic offense ranked 2nd in the league in terms of points scored per game. The Sixers, once again without Michael Carter-Williams, actually led after the first quarter by 2 and managed to keep up with Portland's scoring until the 2nd half. But the Blazers were truly unstoppable and the Sixers scoring has halted in the 3rd quarter, only managing 15 points when the Blazers exploded for 40. Portland could not and would not miss. As team, the Blazers shot an impressive 55.9% from the floor, but their three point shooting was truly the difference maker. The Trail Blazers hit 56.8% of their 3 pointers... and they attempted 37, hitting 21! They actually shot better from beyond the arc. Philadelphia shot 44.8% FG, and hit 9-15 from three, which by itself is respectable but compared to what Portland was able to shoot is nothing.
Otherwise, the Sixers played well except in the 3rd quarter where the Blazers took complete control. The 76ers actually only turned the ball over 14 times, 5 of those late in the 4th when the game was already decided, where as Portland actually committed 18 turnovers. Portland won the rebounding battle 46-33, but how are the Sixers supposed to collect rebounds when the Blazers would not miss? Another statistic that jumps out is the Blazers' 41 assists showing they truly moved the ball incredibly well against Philly's defense. The Sixers were able to outscore their opponent in the paint 52-38, but the Blazers were hitting shots so well from outside that it seemed they didn't even need to go in the paint.
Tony Wroten once again led the Sixers in scoring with 18 as he got another start with MCW out. Wroten also handed out 7 assists and recorded 6 rebounds with only 2 turnovers. Hawes added 16 points and Young tacked on 15 as they both secured 5 rebounds each. Evan Turner put out a dud in this matchup, scoring only 3 points on 1-7 shooting. Hollis Thompson scored 17 as he saw extended minutes with the game out of hand.
LaMarcus Aldridge was very impressive for the Blazers, scoring 20 points and grabbing 16 rebounds. Damian Lillard added 16 points and 6 assists while Nicolas Batum finished with 17 points and 9 assists. All 5 of Portland's starters scored in double-figures. Former Sixers, Dorell Wright, had a big game off the bench with 15 points as he hit all 5 of his attempts from three. Portland's bench accounted for 60 points.
The Sixers now stand at 7-18 as their slump continues. They travel to Brooklyn to play their division rivals, the Nets, on Monday.
By: Matt Ryan
Otherwise, the Sixers played well except in the 3rd quarter where the Blazers took complete control. The 76ers actually only turned the ball over 14 times, 5 of those late in the 4th when the game was already decided, where as Portland actually committed 18 turnovers. Portland won the rebounding battle 46-33, but how are the Sixers supposed to collect rebounds when the Blazers would not miss? Another statistic that jumps out is the Blazers' 41 assists showing they truly moved the ball incredibly well against Philly's defense. The Sixers were able to outscore their opponent in the paint 52-38, but the Blazers were hitting shots so well from outside that it seemed they didn't even need to go in the paint.
Tony Wroten once again led the Sixers in scoring with 18 as he got another start with MCW out. Wroten also handed out 7 assists and recorded 6 rebounds with only 2 turnovers. Hawes added 16 points and Young tacked on 15 as they both secured 5 rebounds each. Evan Turner put out a dud in this matchup, scoring only 3 points on 1-7 shooting. Hollis Thompson scored 17 as he saw extended minutes with the game out of hand.
LaMarcus Aldridge was very impressive for the Blazers, scoring 20 points and grabbing 16 rebounds. Damian Lillard added 16 points and 6 assists while Nicolas Batum finished with 17 points and 9 assists. All 5 of Portland's starters scored in double-figures. Former Sixers, Dorell Wright, had a big game off the bench with 15 points as he hit all 5 of his attempts from three. Portland's bench accounted for 60 points.
The Sixers now stand at 7-18 as their slump continues. They travel to Brooklyn to play their division rivals, the Nets, on Monday.
By: Matt Ryan
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