Following the announcement of Jerry Contangelo as the new Chairman of Baksetball Operations, the Sixers (1-21) turned in a feeble effort against the Spurs at home, losing by 51 points, their fourth-largest defeat in franchise history. After three days to mull over their losts, the Sixers are in Brooklyn tonight for a matchup with Thaddeus Young and the Nets (6-15).
Philadelphia's 119-68 loss to San Antonio on Monday is a microcosm of this team since the rebuild began. Despite efforts to put young talent on the floor, the team can't consistently put together a full-game, win or lose. The game against the Spurs was by far one of the worst during this rebuild process, but it is something we might see again before the season ends. Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli and Kawhi Leonard all sat for the Spurs and they still manhandled a Sixers team that shot just 34.7% from the field and hit only four of their 24 three point attempts. With players like Isaiah Canaan and Robert Covington constantly on the floor, Philadelphia relies heavily on their long-range shooting, whether they made a lot or miss a lot. On Monday, they couldn't hit anything from beyond the arc. Nerlens Noel, Robert Covington and Nik Stauskas all contributed 13 points in the loss, one that saw the team score just 12 points in the second quarter.
“I think when you play as poorly as we did in front of our own fans that there are great lessons to be learned if you are smart, because that was embarrassing,” Sixers head coach Brett Brown said. [CSNPhilly.com]
The Nets may be the second worst team in the Eastern Conference, but they've won three of their last five and are 5-1 in their last six games at the Barclay's Center. The Nets are coming off of a 110-105 win against the Rockets, where they shot a season-hight 55.6% from the floor, had three players with 20 points or more and forced 24 turnovers, something the Sixers do a lot of this season. Brook Lopez led Nets scorers with 24 points while Joe Johnson tallied 22. Former Sixer Thaddeus Young shot 10-for-13, good for 20 points. He also grabbed 12 boards, tallying his third straight double-double.
Game Notes:
- Over the last nine games, Sixers G/F Robert Covington is averaging 17.1 points.
- The Sixers shot 40.2% from three-point range over a five-game span prior to their 4-for-24 effort on Monday against San Antonio
- Nets center Brook Lopez is averaging 21.5 points per game over his last eight. He'll match up against rookie Jahlil Okafor tonight, who scored just 10 points on 3-for-14 shooting in his return to the court after his suspension.
- Since being traded in August of 2014, Thaddeus Young has averaged 15.7 points and 7.3 rebounds in three games against the Sixers.
- Philadelphia has lost 17 straight on the road and 33 of their last 34.
Lineups:
Sixers
PG – Tony Wroten - 3.0 ppg. 2.3 apg
SG– Isaiah Canaan- 11.1 ppg. 2.1 apg
SF- Robert Covington- 14.0 ppg. 2.7 spg
PF- Nerlens Noel - 10.5 ppg. 8.0 rpg
C- Jahlil Okafor - 16.9 ppg. 7.9 rpg
Injuries: Kendall Marshall (right ACL tear, out), Joel Embiid (broken right foot, out), Carl Landry (torn ligament right wrist, out).
Nets
PG – Jarrett Jack - 13.2 ppg. 6.8 apg
SG – Bojan Bogdanovic - 8.6 ppf, 3.5 rpg
SF – Joe Johnson - 11.5 ppg. 4.6 rpg
PF – Thaddeus Young - 16.1 ppg. 9.0 rpg
C – Brook Lopez - 20.2 ppg. 8.0 rpg
Injuries: Andrea Bargnani (tight left hamstring, probable), Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (fractured right ankle, out) and Chris McCullough (right knee rehab, out)
Game Information:
Tip-off: 7:30pm
Location: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
TV: CSN Philly
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Brandon Apter, Managing Editor for Sixerdelphia.com
