PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers played host to the Portland Trail Blazers. Winners of four of their last five coming into this game and boasting a record of 16-12 since the start of the new year; the Blazers are suddenly pushing for the play-in while the Sixers pretend to do the very same.
Without Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Kelly Oubre in this game, all eyes turned to Tyrese Maxey, who continues to recover from a finger injury on his right hand, and Quentin Grimes, who was coming off of a career-best performance against the Golden State Warriors.
In the early going, it was neither Maxey nor Grimes who kept Philly afloat, but a balanced effort featuring Andre Drummond and Guerschon Yabusele. As the game progressed, though, it became quickly clear that Philadelphia simply could not overcome the tenacious defense of the Blazers despite the absence of Jerami Grant, DeAndre Ayton, Robert Williams, Matisse Thybulle, and more.
Philadelphia’s halftime lead quickly fell away in the third, and the Sixers simply could not play catch up, especially after Tyrese Maxey left the game due to a back injury. While he was not the normal explosive scorer all are used to, Maxey provided strong value as the team’s primary facilitator, a task that fell to the combination of Quentin Grimes and Jeff Dowtin Jr.
The Sixers would attempt a comeback without their leader but could not consistently get their offense to produce, whether they tried inside or out. The Blazers would leave Philadelphia with a 119-102 win, and the Sixers would be left licking both their metaphorical and literal wounds while the fans received little more than complimentary chicken nuggets.
Up next for the Sixers
Philadelphia has no time to lick its wounds as it heads to Minnesota to face the Timberwolves on Tuesday evening. The Wolves have seen a recent boost with the return of Julius Randle and figure to be stiff competition for the Sixers, who, of course, will be on the second night of a back-to-back.
Tip-off is set for 8 p.m., and you can catch the game on NBC Sports Philadelphia or, as always, listen live at 97.5 FM, the Fanatic.
For the latest breaking news on your Philadelphia 76ers and other Philly sports, follow Zach Ciavolella on X — @CiavoNBA and Bluesky — @ciavo.bsky.social
