The Philadelphia 76ers (35-27) and Memphis Grizzlies (22-41) overcame a mountain of injuries to actually play a basketball game. The Sixers led by as much as 15 in the second half but lost 115-109.
Let’s break down the clash between two woefully injury-riddled squads.
76ers player notes:
Tobias Harris: 8 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3-12 FG shooting
Harris was fine in the 76ers' last game but needed to be more than that with so many key ball-handlers out. As fate would have it, he was one of Philly's least inspiring players and had little impact (at least positively) on this game. Although he had some nice defensive moments in crunch time, he was so bad on offense that it hardly mattered.
It's as if his bounce-back game following a brutal cold spell was for naught. This was a miserable performance from Harris.
Paul Reed: 17 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, 8-17 FG shooting
Bball Paul would simply not be denied a rebound in this game. His lack of fear in attacking the hoop with one of the NBA's best defenders in his path served him for better and for worse. The fact that he fouled out notwithstanding, Reed played really solid.
Jeff Dowtin Jr.: 10 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 4-7 FG shooting
Dowtin got more than just a handful of minutes in this game and showed out big-time. His well-rounded style of play made him instantly impactful on both ends of the floor. Although he played mostly the first half, his impact was felt.
Grizzlies player notes:
Jaren Jackson Jr.: 30 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 6 blocks, 10-25 FG shooting
JJJ's comfort in being an initiator on offense has grown out of necessity with all of the Grizzlies' injuries. His long arms certainly allowed him to streeeetch to the rim up close on top of denying the 76ers of such shots. The Sixers had few answers for his blend of size and physicality, especially in crunch time.
Game recap:
Now in the play-in territory following yesterday's loss to the Brooklyn Nets, the 76ers were even more shorthanded with Tyrese Maxey again sidelined and Kyle Lowry held out due to rest. The Grizzlies have been the most bruised and battered team in the NBA this season but have been scrappy and eager to surprise whoever underestimates them. Few games this season between any teams have had as many big-name players missing, even going down to some of their most notable role players.
Nico Batum and Reed were elevated back into the starting lineup.
1st half
The Grizzlies started with Santi Aldama as Harris' defender. They made five of their first six shots, including four triples, as the 76ers' defense looked out of sorts on the back end. Harris slid far too over into the paint several times to allow shooters to get open. Every Memphis starter scored while Philly got off to a slow start.
A trio of juniors — Dowtin, Kelly Oubre Jr. and KJ Martin — were the first Sixers subs as they went right to the small-ball look with Martin and Harris in the frontcourt. A putback slam and triple from Martin greased Philly's wheels as it got going down the track. Harris, who should have been one of the main drivers, acted as a pothole far too often by settling for contested looks, killing offensive flow and smoking an open layup.
Ricky Council IV got some first-quarter minutes, playing the four alongside Martin. The small lineup looked spectacular in transition, filling lanes and charging up court with some guys heading to the paint and others trailing as shooters. Dowtin fit right in as a selfless glue guy. He passed up an open three but immediately turned it into a give-and-go with Buddy Hield, finishing with a left-handed Euro step. Defense was still sorely missing but that unit was up to something on offense.
John Konchar whacked Oubre in the face at the start of the second quarter, earning him a flagrant. He drew a shooting foul shortly thereafter, maintaining the aggression that has served him so well over the last two games. Hield tallied some steals as the Sixers started to provide some actual resistance against the Grizzlies' offense, keeping it scoreless for three minutes. The Sixers weren’t much better but were able to tie the game up.
In his second stint, Dowtin uncorked his second triple of the night on an ensuing fast break. For as surprising as it was to see him leap up the depth chart, it was apparent in his first extended run why that is. He's not the quickest or most awe-inspiringly athletic but he's a heady, skilled guard with a big wingspan. His sense of how to make plays on and off the ball made him fit in seamlessly.
Reed rebounded Sixers misses like a madman, unafraid to dive on the floor and fend off several Grizzlies. He capped off one extra possession with a reverse layup to evade Jackson's defense. Dowtin continued his impressive performance with a steal and a light dunk on the other end. He dished it to Reed on a turnaround jumper to mount a double-digit lead. A late-half scoring run from Jackson prevented the blowout vibes from fully taking over.
At the half, the 76ers led 64-56.
2nd half
Cam Payne's shrewd, quick sense for making plays put the 76ers up by more when he assisted Hield and Batum on threes. He followed his own shots and was rewarded when Reed secured an OREB and assisted him on a triple. Philly sustained its lead as both sides sought consistent offense in the halfcourt.
Both Reed and Martin had picked up four fouls by the middle of the third quarter but Martin remained in the game after picking up his fourth. More brutal play from Harris — getting beat off the dribble by Jake LaRavia on a terrible closeout, providing no scoring windows for himself or others on offense — couldn’t keep the 76ers down as they retained a lead that hovered in and out of double-digits.
Harris did step up for a nice stop on defense, denying GG Jackson a layup on a fast break that turned around and resulted in free throws for Martin. Oubre drew fouls in a cascade of randomness on offense. Whether he made a timely cut for a dump-off pass from Reed or ran full stride in the open floor and received a smooth pass from Dowtin, everyone knew where Oubre wanted to get to. A soaring dunk across the paint became the masterpiece of his performance.
KELLY OUBRE JR. THROWS IT DOWN OVER TWO DEFENDERS 😱pic.twitter.com/vkUHd56H85
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 7, 2024
Council, the other Sixers win unafraid to force the issue at the rim, was struggling. He couldn’t get a shot to fall from the field or the charity stripe. As the Grizzlies started to regain momentum and cut the Philly lead to four, he headed to the bench, though Harris remained out there as the starting unit began a critical stretch.
Harris declined to push a fast-break attempt to the rim — a fine decision with Jackson in the way — but coughed the ball up. He made up for it by cleaning up a bricked layup from Hield as both of the veterans found themselves in a pattern of making good defensive plays (some rebounds in traffic for Harris, a stripped layup from Hield) before committing a blunder on offense.
The 76ers chose simply not to do any good closeouts and allowed the Grizzlies to take the lead with over three minutes left. Reed fouled out going for an offensive rebound, sending Martin into the game to deal with Jackson. LaRavia beating out the Sixers for his fifth offensive rebound and a putback layup put Memphis up by three.
Jackson's size was too much for the 76ers to handle. Martin fouled out guarding him as Memphis went up by seven. The Sixers cut it to two points with 24.9 left to play after a putback floater from Payne and a transition triple from Hield. Luke Kennard's free throws made it a four-point game.
Nick Nurse drew up a blind pig play to get Oubre downhill. He earned a foul call but the Grizzlies challenged it, successfully overturning it and giving them possession. They wrapped it up and the Philly fans left in attendance brought out the boo birds.
Random tidbits:
- De'Anthony Melton and Robert Covington are still working their way back but the Sixers did provide updated timelines for their recovery processes.
- Hield has next to no chance of creating a good look when he has the ball in space and is looking for his own shot. His value comes off of off-ball movement and attacking an out-of-sorts defense. He and Nurse need to realize this to cut down on possessions that go nowhere.
The 76ers have a day off before hosting the New Orleans Pelicans.
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