Things are going from bad to worse for the Philadelphia 76ers. After an impressive win over the Lakers and a victory over the Warriors, the team hit the road and produced one of the worst outcomes imaginable. After losing to the lowly Atlanta Hawks on Thursday, the team laid a dud in a blowout loss to the Celtics. On Monday, they followed those performances up with a disastrous showing in Miami that resulting in a 137-106 defeat.
The early part of the game offered no indication of the beatdown that was coming. The teams played an entertaining, competitive first half with the Heat taking a modest four-point lead into the break. Unfortunately, the Sixers forgot they had to play a second half.
They got absolutely blitzed in the third quarter, giving up a whopping 41 points and getting outscored by 16. They were down 20 to start the fourth, and would never really threaten again as they displayed discouraging energy and body language. The Heat added another 11 to the margin to earn the 137-106 win.
It doesn’t take a basketball genius to see that defense was the problem on Monday night. On their way to 137 points, the Heat shot 56.5% from the field and 50% from 3. They got 30 trips to the line and connected on 25 of them. Jimmy Butler had a field day, pouring in 38 points in just 29 minutes of action. He shot 70% from the field, 2-of-2 from 3, and 8-of-8 from the line. The Sixers, a supposed defensive juggernaut, forced three turnovers. Three.
We’re not even going to touch on the few decent individual offensive performances because, frankly, they don’t deserve to be acknowledged.
The loss to Atlanta was bad, but it was easy to dismiss as a one-off letdown in an 82 game schedule/the Sixers were looking ahead to the following three-game stretch. The poor effort in Boston and the fact that what happened in Atlanta didn’t serve as a spark or a refocusing point was concerning. For the Sixers to play like they did on Monday after the two previous results is beyond concerning and moving into “it’s fair to question the team’s character” territory.
It’s getting increasingly difficult to dismiss the team’s problems and remain optimistic that they are anywhere near the team we thought they were. Road struggles, not getting up for lesser opponents, and inconsistent energy and effort, especially defensively, are no longer just patterns, but who this team is. The fact that the team fails to consistently play the type of defense it’s capable of is inexcusable.
Adding to the frustration is the glimpses the team has shown. Blowout wins over these same Heat, and the Bucks, and the Lakers. Solid wins over the Raptors and Pacers, Jazz and Nuggets, and winning the season series over the Celtics. The fact that the Sixers can’t muster those types of performances consistently and that it’s a complete mystery what motivates this team makes this season all the more confounding.
A season that started with championship aspirations is dangerously close to going completely off the rails, if it hasn’t already, and it’s getting increasingly difficult to see realistic fixes. Things don’t get any easier, as the Sixers travel to East-leading Milwaukee on Thursday. [lawrence-related id=24792,24811]