The Philadelphia 76ers, looking to sweep the season series against the Sacramento Kings, got off to another hot start on a cold Wednesday night in South Philly.
Jerami Grant got the start at power forward as Nerlens Noel was scratched with knee tendinitis. Grant, taking advantage of this opportunity, had two blocks in the first four minutes of the game. While Jerami made his defensive presence known, Jahlil Okafor got cooking, ending the half with 18 points, four rebounds and three assists. Robert Covington and Nik Stauskus combined for six three pointers. Meanwhile, Hollis Thompson got off to a cold start, missing all four of his attempts from beyond the arc. DeMarcus Cousins became good friends with the foul line, as the Kings made a push. However, a slew of hard fought offensive boards and some Jah-magic and successful three shooting allowed the Sixers to end the half with a 63-48 lead.
Jerami Grant continued his solid night, notching his fourth block of the game in the beginning of the third quarter. Robert Covington was feeling very confident, as he drained a three, then ran the floor and got a nice block. The Sixers ran into some turnover trouble throughout the third quarter, as the Kings defense tightened up, and the Sixers offense grew a bit stagnant. The Kings’ comeback did not ruin the Sixers’ block party, as the team as a whole had 10 blocks, with Okafor, Holmes, and Grant pitching in on the festivities.
Okafor and Covington controlled the majority of the fourth quarter, both matching their career-highs, and Robert setting his at 29 points, and another career-high seven three pointers. Turnover issues abound; the Kings took advantage of the Sixers mistakes, taking their first lead since early in the first quarter at 106-105. Ish Smith had the opportunity to bring the game within reach, but he went one for two on free throws, leaving the Sixers stretching for points within the final seconds of the game. Even one of the Sixers best three point shooting games was not enough to close this one out versus Sacramento, as they fell to the Kings 114-110. They enter the All-Star break with a sour taste in their mouths, dropping another game they had led nearly the duration. The Sixers are back in action on January 19th in New Orleans.
FINAL STATS:
- Robert Covington: 29 p, 1 a, 5 r, 6 st
- Jerami Grant: 7 p, 6 a, 6 r, 4 blk
- Jahlil Okafor: 26 p, 5 a, 10 r, 2 blk
- Ish Smith: 5 p, 10 a, 3 r
- Nik Stauskus: 16 p, 3 a, 2 r, 1 st
- Isaiah Canaan: 6 p
- Richaun Holmes: 8 p, 2 r, 4 blk, 1 st
- Carl Landry: 2 p, 1 a, 3 r
- TJ McConnell: 4 p, 3 a, 5 r, 1 st
- Hollis Thompson: 7 p, 8 r
Jenna Bonner, contributor to Sixerdelphia.com
