A game filled with entertaining basketball from Tyrese Maxey and surprisingly a Jaden Springer led lineup didn't end in the result we hoped for, but an amazing fight from this team down the stretch. The Sixers have now lost 4 out of their last 5 games and find themselves only 2 games above the 4 seeded Cleveland Cavaliers.
Read down below for a quarter by quarter breakdown and key takeaways.
First Quarter
• Tobias Harris started off tonight's game with a few buckets. It's a good sign to see him be aggressive so early. He hit a few tough buckets and had 8 early points.
• It's tough to watch this offense without Harden because of the lack of playmaking that this offense goes through. Maxey got the first sub, and in came Shake Milton.
• This is bad timing for De'Anthony Melton to no show. He started off the game 0/4 from the field and 3 missed 3's.
• Georges Niang was getting picked on the defensive end on majority of the Nugget's possessions. They found a lot of success from that strategy. The defensive rotations needs to be better, especially when you have Niang or Dedmon on the court.
Second Quarter
• Sixers started off the second quarter with a lineup of Maxey/Shake/House Jr./McDaniels/Reed and they turned it into a tie game. Paul Reed has been doing a great job at crashing the glass. Like I've said a million times, the Reed/McDaniels duo is very good defensively.
• Unforced errors is what kills this team and their momentum. You had a tie game, and silly mistakes turns into a Denver 8-0 run, and this game can
• The Denver Nuggets have a large hole in their defense and Tyrese Maxey is punishing them. He is getting to the rim and finishing over Nikola Jokic any chance he gets.
• This has been a rollercoaster of a game so far. The Sixers have gotten this game within 4 points a few times and then a cold offense mixed with defensive breakdowns lets Denver get the lead back to 10. With a Georges Niang 3 pointer at the buzzer, the Sixers only find themselves down 4 at halftime.
• My oh my...Tyrese Maxey has 25 points in the first half. He is getting everything he wants. A crossover into a 3, and one layups, floaters, finishes over Jokic. This guy fell to the 21st pick in the 2020 draft.
Third Quarter
• Unforced errors is the key to the game tonight. That is exactly how you lose these kinds of games. Bad turnovers, poor shot selection, defensive breakdowns. The worst start to a second half has happened.
• Why are we not giving the ball to Tyrese Maxey every possession after the first half he had? If he doesn't touch the ball on the possession, it's a failed one. Too many times in this quarter where we're completely flat and having Maxey stand in the corner doing nothing.
• Paul Reed is a fun player to watch. It may not be pretty, but it sure is fun to watch as a fan. He's attempting to spark a Sixers comeback with a few buckets, and some highlight defensive plays.
Fourth Quarter
• What is with Danuel House and wanting to take step back 3's every time he touches the ball? This game is completely out of reach so I just have to laugh at it.
• I cannot wait for Paul Reed to have some highlight moments in home playoff games. Philadelphia has nothing but love for this guy. He did a great job tonight attacking the glass and getting much needed offensive boards. He finished the night with 16 points and 9 rebounds.
• This game is completely over...The third quarter is a big blame for that one. Let's sit back, and enjoy some bench guys play basketball.
• Well, as I said this game was completely over, I was wrong. A Jaden Springer led lineup brought the game all the way to one possession. That's the future of the Sixers that we just watched. That guy has some heart in him.
Key Takeaways
• The Dewayne Dedmon minutes were tough to watch in the first quarter. His defensive rotations were flat out hard to watch. There were times where Jokic had the ball in the post with Maxey on his back, and he didn't show signs of help at all. I also don't understand the decision from Doc Rivers to leave him with the starters in the second half. He completely slowed down this offense, and was getting bullied for a majority of his minutes.
• The argument that Joel Embiid's defense is overrated, is dead. It's insane to me that people were actually trying to push an agenda like that. This team struggled in every single position defensively.
• Biggest surprise of the night: A Jaden Springer led lineup brought the Sixers back into the game. They made it a one possession game with 25 seconds left but a head scratching call by the refs will have fans searching for the L2M report for tonights game.
• Hell of a game from Tyrese Maxey tonight. He only scored 4 second half points but had 25 in the first half, and 20 in the second quarter. Aggressive Maxey is my favorite. We need this come playoff time.