Third defeat in four matches for the Sixers, and the second in a row after the rout the day before against the Knicks. Still in front of their home crowd, Nick Nurse's players lost 120-109 against Lauri Markkanen's Jazz, and the absences of De'Anthony Melton, Tobias Harris and especially Joel Embiid were too much.
And then their teammates didn't necessarily want to defend… In “back-to-back”, the Sixers were clearly tired, even elsewhere, as in this throw-in by Tyrese Maxey at the start of the match under the Jazz panel, which turns into a dunk from Lauri Markkanen on the other side of the field (8-2). The Finn hurts a lot, and we have to wait for the entry of Pat Beverley for Philly to wake up. The service barker sends KJ Martin to dunk, and the Sixers get back to the score (32-28).
The Sixers crack in the middle of the 3rd quarter
The locals even went ahead thanks to Beverley (36-35), and the second quarter was just a constant back-and-forth with John Collins stringing together dunks and alley-oops to respond to Beverley and Paul Reed. Thanks to a good pass from Collin Sexton, it was Utah who took the lead at the break. By a small point (58-57). Same scenario at the start of the 2nd half with the Sixers regaining control thanks to Maxey (61-58), and a Jazz responding with a 7-0. Markkanen has moved away from the circle, and he's doing even more damage. Still at 3 points, he launched a new 7-0 to give a 10-point lead (77-67).
The Sixers are on the verge of collapse, and they are going to break. In a great collective action, without the slightest dribble, it is again Markkanen who hits the 3-pointer. This time, it is to give 14 points in advance seven minutes from the end (105-91). Marcus Morris plants two winning baskets in a row to keep the Sixers alive, but Sexton takes care of validating the Jazz's victory, with a nice 3-point “step back”. Final score: 120-109 for Utah, which comes back on the heels of the Warriors and the Lakers in the West.
What you must remember
– Very clumsy Sixers. 4 of 25. That's the combined 3-point skill of Nicolas Batum, Pat Beverley, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Tyrese Maxey. The Frenchman is the worst of all with a 0 out of 5 by far. Since January 1, “Batman” is an awful 1 for 9 from behind the arc.
– A passive racket. The Markkanen-Collins duo enjoyed themselves in the absence of Joel Embiid. The two Jazz interiors finished the match with a 21 out of 29 on shots, or 72% skill. Nick Nurse also pointed out the lack of desire of his interiors in the second half with only 4 offensive rebounds.
– Embiid absent. The 2023 MVP's knee swelled overnight after the game against the Knicks, and he could miss several games. Embiid has already missed eight games this season, and he has to be careful since the NBA now imposes quotas to be eligible for end-of-year trophies.
– Jazz continues. Seventh victory in nine matches for Utah, which now has a record of 17 wins for 20 losses. Will Hardy's players are hot on the heels of the Lakers and the Warriors in the race for 10th place, synonymous with “play-in”.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
