The Sixers slid to a season-worst fourth straight loss Saturday night.
New Orleans had three 20-point scorers in Jordan Poole , Zion Williamson and Saddiq Bey . Joel Embiid missed his fourth consecutive game. The Pelicans’ injured players included Trey Murphy III and Yves Missi.
Two of Embiid’s many backups over the years started Saturday night. Andre Drummond matched up with very rarely used 37-year-old big man DeAndre Jordan. Both the Pelicans and Sixers began 0 for 4 from the floor. The Sixers at least managed to draw plenty of free throws. Their role players did a good job early of driving hard, consistently reaching the paint and putting pressure on the Pelicans’ lowly defense. Maxey was the last Sixers starter on the scoreboard. He missed his first five field goals and dealt with customary extra attention on another Embiid-less night. New Orleans native Oubre made the first field goal of the game, a long-range jumper that gave the Sixers an 8-0 edge. The Sixers trimmed their rotation down to nine players in the first half, removing Trendon Watford. Justin Edwards joined the mix in the third quarter. Jabari Walker logged 17 minutes and had nine points and six rebounds. Walker and Adem Bona each had solid defensive possessions on Williamson, although New Orleans’ star forward got rolling early in the second quarter and the Pelicans briefly went ahead. The second quarter was a physical, foul-heavy, not especially pretty frame. The Sixers ultimately won it, thanks in part to efficient scoring from Oubre and VJ Edgecombe. Oubre closed the second quarter with a buzzer-beating three and the Sixers held an eight-point halftime lead.The Pelicans made a 10-0 run early in the third quarter capped by a Bey triple. The Sixers played very poorly late in the third with Maxey on the sidelines, too. Bona fouled Karlo Matkovic beyond the arc and he made all three of his free throws to put New Orleans up 97-89. While the Pelicans had a far better three-point shooting night than usual , the Sixers conceded too many easy points and cheap fouls. Even with a 27-11 advantage in points off turnovers, the Sixers couldn't avoid a terrible loss. There's a strong chance the Sixers end the season as the NBA's worst third-quarter team. Entering Saturday, their minus-17.5 net rating in third quarters was For a team that's otherwise been above-average, it's baffling and inexcusable that the Sixers have been so bad in one quarter for so long. The Sixers didn't flip a switch once the fourth quarter started. Poole went on a scoring spree and the Pelicans' lead ballooned over 20 points. Unless the Sixers play a much higher-quality game Sunday against the 35-22 Timberwolves, they'll be staring at a five-game skid.
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