The Sixers have been playing some really uninspiring basketball. They are in the midst of an 11-game losing streak, with their last win coming against the Brooklyn Nets on February 6th.
Nothing should seem particularly out of place, as the Sixers are no strangers to losing, or large losing streaks. The manner of their losses, especially after the All-Star break, have been the disturbing part.
76ers have lost 11 straight games, their third losing streak of at least 11 games this season. The rest of the NBA has one.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 5, 2016
The defense in those games was their ultimate downfall, allowing at least 100 points in every game. Four of their last games they have given up 120 plus points, and even 130 against Orlando. Scoring was usually not the issue; the Sixers just dug themselves in such big holes defensively, that no amount of sharp shooting could climb out of it.
All of the games basically follow the same template: they begin pretty competitively, then the opponent goes on a run and creates some separation at the end of the first half or a quarter, then the Sixers make a little bit of a push, but in the end it's not enough, and the opponent runs away with the game.
Effort doesn’t seem to be the issue here, despite occasional moments of lackadaisical play here and there. The two things the team has always prided itself on despite continuous losing, effort and resiliency, were still evident in games such as the Wizards or Heat games, in which they made significant pushes to cut the lead down. Even though they ultimately fell short, they kept fighting and showed their hearts.
The Sixers have improved their three point shot; they were shooting 33.1 percent pre-all star break, and now are shooting 35.5 percent post-all star break. Their three shooting has been whats been keeping them in some of their games.
They even have improved on their turnovers, going from 17.9 turnovers a game pre-all star, to 15.3 per game post-all star.
Their field goal percentage has gone up from 43.3 percent before the break to 46 percent after.
With all of these improvements offensively, and scoring a lot more than usual, any other team would see more wins. The Sixers’ defense, however, has really been the Achilles heel of this team after the All-Star Break, and it must improve in order for the Sixers to see any daylight.
