PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers continue to show that not much fazes them during this 2022-23 season.
They trailed the Memphis Grizzlies by as many as 17 points on Thursday but rallied to win, 110-105. The win was the fifth this season in which they have trailed by at least 15 points. That mark is tied for the second-most in the league this season, which shows what this team can do when challenged.
Considering Joel Embiid shot just 7-for-25 from the floor, the win is even more impressive.
“Just finding something that works on both ends of the ball,” said James Harden. “Whether it was defensively or when you’re getting stops, consecutive stops in a row, and then offensively just making shots. This is a make-or-miss league so if you miss shots, it’s a little bit harder, but if you make it, it’s a little bit easier so just keep fighting.”
On one hand, the Sixers should not be putting themselves in this position. The Grizzlies started hot on Thursday before Philadelphia locked in defensively, producing enough stops to rally. However, that approach will not work all the time.
“First of all, we should not put ourselves in those positions, but that’s on me,” said Embiid. “I could have been better, but I just think it shows you that we have the right players that are tough mentally. We have the right group that knows we’re just gonna stick together and that at some point, it’s going to change.”
In the first half, Memphis shot 45.9% from the floor while Philadelphia shot just 32.6%. After halftime, the roles flipped as the Sixers shot 50% from the floor and the Grizzlies shot 34% in the second half.
“It really just says what it’s said all year: We hang in there,” said coach Doc Rivers. “We kept fighting. We had nothing. The first quarter was as bad as we could play defensively. They literally scored, I felt like, every time, and then we fouled every time. They got to score and then set their defense up the entire first half. That’s what it felt like.”
The biggest difference for the Sixers after halftime was they took advantage of opportunities. Philadelphia didn’t convert on open looks to start, but it found a rhythm.
“Then in the second half, we just moved the ball,” Rivers added. “They’re a long team. They challenge you to pass and they challenge you to execute and I don’t think we executed worth a darn in the first half. In the second half, every timeout we got something. We ran stuff. We executed. We were in the right spot. We trusted the pass and that’s big for us.”
[mm-video type=playlist id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f1jxkahtwnvzepyp image=]
[lawrence-related id=75908,75905,75896]