A game that looked won from the beginning became much closer at the end as the Nets (21-25) nearly blew the game that featured various double-digit leads. The Sixers (15-34) were down big early, climbed to within two at points in the final quarter, but could not take the lead late. It wasn't quite enough as Philadelphia loses another, 108-102.
This game looked lost from the beginning for the Sixers, who fell behind 16-2 in the first quarter. Deron Williams led the way for the Nets out of the gates with seven points. Turnovers were an issue early for Philadelphia, who turned the ball over nine times in the opening quarter. They came together at the end of the period though and trailed by eight after one, 24-16.
A Thaddeus Young layup with 7:10 remaining in the second tied things up at 33 a piece and after a pair of Carter-Williams free throws, the Sixers were up 35-33. Shots by Tony Wroten and James Anderson put the Sixers in a good position with 3:36 to go in the half, up 42-36. Fouls sent Nets forward Paul Pierce to the line eight times in the quarter and he sunk all of them, putting the Nets even with the Sixers at 47 with 1:48 to go. The Nets, playing without Joe Johnson, went on a 13-2 run to end the half to make it a 54-49 game heading into the locker rooms. Halfway through, the Nets had already taken 26 free throws, making 22, while the Sixers were outrebounding Brooklyn and had a better shooting percentage thanks to a 50% second quarter.
The Sixers hot shooting continued in the third, but they only took 13 shots due in part to nine more turnovers committed in the quarter. They had 17 turnovers with time to spare in the third. Deron Williams erupted for 12 points in the third, bringing the Nets to an 84-69 lead at the end of three quarters.
An 11-4 run to start the fourth brought the Sixers closer and a Lavoy Allen layup brought them to within two at 97-95. The Nets responded by scoring seven straight, taking a 104-95 lead. A Thad Young hooke shot, a layup by Evan Turner and a three-pointer from James Anderson brought the Sixers right back into it at 104-102 with 22 seconds to go, but that is as close as they would get. After two more free throws from Pierce, Michael Carter-Williams turned the ball over, sealing the Sixers' 108-102 fate. The fourth quarter was a huge one for Philadelphia as they shot 56.5% from the floor, led by seven points and three assists from MCW.
Despite a close loss, the Sixers fought back after trailing by as many as 19. Turnovers cursed the Sixers again as they gave it up 26 times, tying their season-high. Paul Pierce was a huge reason why the Nets came out on top, hitting 14-of-14 from the free throw line. Pierce finished with a game high 25 points while Deron Williams added 21. Mirza Teletovic came off the bench for the Nets and scored 20.
The Sixers were led by Michael Carter-Williams, who was back in action after missing the last game for personal reasons. The rest proved to be good for the Sixers rookie as he scored 21 points. Thaddeus Young had a strong showing with 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting. James Anderson added 12 and Tony Wroten came off the bench to contribute with 18 points on 6-for-8 shooting along with six made free throws.
Overall, Philadelphia shot 52.1% from the floor compared to the 44.4% by the Nets. The Sixers struggled from the line, missing eight free throws, while the Nets made 34-of-39.
Up next the Sixers play host to the Celtics on Wednesday night at the Wells Fargo Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7PM. Evan Turner hit a buzzer beating shot in a win against the Celtics last week in Boston as the Sixers took that one, 95-94. After that, the Sixers host the Lakers on Friday night. Philadelphia has lost 12 of their last 15 games.
Dewayne Dedmon, Sixers part ways
After signing two straight 10-day contracts, the Sixers decided not to sign Dedmon for the remainder of the season. In order to have kept him around any longer, they would have had to have kept him for the rest of the year.
In 11 games with the Sixers, Dedmon averaged 3.4 points and 4.5 rebounds in 13.6 minutes a game. He also totaled nine blocks.
Brandon Apter is a contributor to Sixerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @ApterShock
