Brandon Apter (@bapter23), Managing Editor
The Sixers, though 1-28 on the season, have usually shown fight in their losses and given fans a reason to believe that things will get better next year. Lately, that hasn't been the story. Brett Brown's young team has struggled to put together a full-game, heck even a half of one, and their efforts (or lack thereof) has shown on the scoreboard. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies (15-14) come into the Wells Fargo Center, losing four of their last six games, but have beaten the Sixers once already this season, despite Philadelphia leading by four with six minutes remaining in the game.
It wasn't good news when Kyrie Irving announced he planned to return against the Sixers, who have had huge issues covering guards on the perimeter. Combine that with the starpower of LeBron James and you have yourself a nice, old fashioned one-sided contest. That wasn't the case for at least the first quarter thought, with the Sixers leading 25-21 after 12 minutes of play. Their lead quickly diminished though as Cleveland outscored them 34-13 in the second quarter to take a convincing 55-38 lead into the half. The Cavs won the third quarter battle 33-22 before the Sixers put together a solid fourth, scoring 26 compared to the Cavs 20. James finished with 23 points, five rebounds and four assists while Matthew Dellavadova went 4-for-6 from downtown en route to 20 points. Nerlens Noel led the Sixers with a double-double, 15 points and 12 rebounds. Jahlil Okafor had nine points and eight rebounds. Turnovers continued to haunt the Sixers, who coughed it up 21 times. The Cavs scored 28 points off of Philadelphia's miscues.
Though they've lost four of their last six games, the Grizzlies are coming off of a nice 96-84 win over the Pacers. The key to the Memphis victory was forcing Indiana to turn the ball over 17 times and hold them to 39% shooting. Matt Barnes led the Grizz effort with 15 points and 10 rebounds while point guard Mike Conley, who will be nothing but trouble for the Sixers tonight, contributed with 20 points. Memphis outscored Indiana 26-18 in the fourth, pulling away for the eventual victory. Marc Gasol averages 16.2 points per game to lead the team while fellow big-man Zach Randolph averages 8.3 rebounds and 12.9 points per contest. Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor will have their hands full with these this veteran front court.
Game Notes:
- The Sixers have lost 22 straight on the road, with their last four losses by 19 or more points.
- Memphis has won five straight games in Philadelphia, but four of them were decided by five points or fewer.
- The Grizzlies are 10-3 when holding teams to under 97 points. The Sixers are dead last in the NBA with 91.2 points per game.
- The Sixers have shot poorly from three-point range recently, hitting 11 of their 48 shots from beyond the arc over the last two games.
- Philadelphia's 108-86 loss at the hands of the Cavs was the eighth time in the last 10 games they've allowed an opponent to score over 100 points against them.
Lineups:
Sixers
PG – Kendall Marshall - 4.8 ppg, 4.4 apg
SG – Isaiah Canaan - 10.8 ppg, 2.1 ppg
SF – Robert Covington - 12.7 ppg, 2.1 spg
PF – Nerlens Noel - 10.0 ppg, 7.9 rpg
C – Jahlil Okafor - 17.6 ppg, 8.0 rpg
Injuries: Joel Embiid (broken right foot rehab, out), Carl Landry (torn ligament right wrist rehab, out)
Grizzlies
PG – Mike Conley - 14.7 ppg, 6.0 apg
SG – Courtney Lee - 9.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg
SF – Jeff Green - 10.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg
PF – Matt Barnes - 8.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg
C – Marc Gasol - 16.2 ppg, 7.9 rpg
Injuries: Jordan Adams (right knee soreness, out), Brandan Wright (right knee soreness, out), Tony Allen (right knee injury, questionable).
Game Information:
Tip-off: 7PM
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
TV: CSN Philly
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
