Tyrese Maxey did his part but the Sixers still came up short as the team had trouble containing the Memphis Grizzlies on both ends of the court.
Joel Embiid (rib soreness) and Seth Curry (shoulder soreness) were unusually late scratches for the Sixers 126-91 loss in Memphis Monday night. Similarly, Memphis’ rotation was also weakened, as Taylor Jenkins‘ team was notably missing the services of Ja Morant and Brandon Clarke.
Memphis earned an early 37-30 edge after the first quarter behind scoring from Dillon Brooks and Kyle Anderson. The duo combined for 19 first-quarter points on 7/12 shooting from the field (2/4 3P, 3/4 FT). Philly was outscored by a 31-26 margin in the second quarter, further cushioning Memphis’ lead. Tyrese Maxey remained Doc Rivers‘ lone source of positivity in the first half, as he accumulated 16 points (7/12 FG, 1/2 3P, 1/1 FT), 5 assists, and one steal in 20 minutes.
Andre Drummond continued his season-long impersonation of a human turnstile, consistently getting exposed by the likes of Jaren Jackson Jr. and Steven Adams. However, the Sixers center played 16 first-half minutes compared to rookie second-rounder Charles Bassey‘s 7 minutes.
In the third quarter, Memphis outscored the Sixers 33-19 to take a commanding 101-75 lead. Jackson Jr. and Brooks were the Grizzlies’ main source of offense in the period, with the former scoring 13 points in the frame. Furkan Korkmaz‘s slump continued as he failed to connect from deep through three quarters. Stubbornly, Doc Rivers played the cold shooter 23 minutes through the first three quarters, while Isaiah Joe only saw the floor for 3 minutes.
The defeated Sixers showed little signs of life in the fourth as they were outscored 25-16. Maxey finished with 23 points (9/17 FG, 2/5 3P, 3/3 FT) and 7 assists. Memphis’ leading contributors consisted of Brooks with 23 points (9/15 FG, 2/5 3P, 3/4 FT), and Jackson Jr. with 22 points (8/17 FG, 1/6 3P, 5/6 FT), 2 blocks, and one steal. As a team, the Grizzlies shot 53% from the field, including 14/34 from three, while the Sixers shot 45% from the field and 4/22 from long range.
The Sixers will look to put this game behind them as their next matchup is at home on Wednesday, November 15th, versus Miami. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 pm EST. Meanwhile, you can find more Sixers and other Philly sports content at PhillySportsNetwork.com!
