The Philadelphia 76ers and Utah Jazz both entered Sunday night’s contest shorthanded in a glorified tank-off. The Sixers came into the game, losing their last game to the Boston Celtics on the road and losers of 12 of their last 13 games. Their lone win came against the Golden State Warriors, who were without Jimmy Butler.
The Jazz came in with just 15 wins and lost eight out of their last ten games. Utah Jazz is without many of its main rotation guys, and all signs are pointing toward the team trying to secure a top-three pick and a chance to draft Duke’s Cooper Flagg. Former Sixer KJ Martin also returned to Philly in this matchup after being traded to Utah at the trade deadline.
Sixers/Jazz recap
From the start of the first quarter, the Sixers’ defense was nonexistent, allowing 22 points in the first five minutes of the game. In the early going, Utah’s Kyle Filipowski torched the Sixers for 12 early points, taking advantage of Drummond’s lack of interest in guarding him on the perimeter. Turnovers and bad shooting put the home team in a hole early that looked like they wouldn’t climb out initially, but once Utah went cold after their hot start, it allowed the Sixers to get back in it.
The Sixers started the second quarter on a 13-0 run and increased it to 15-0 to help grab an early second-quarter lead at 35-34 with 9 minutes remaining. Reserves Jeff Dowtin Jr and Lonnie Walker IV helped the Sixers extend their second-quarter lead with a barrage of threes in a span of two minutes. Utah went cold from the field, and the Sixers took advantage, pushing their lead to as many as ten points. The Jazz cut the lead to 55-54, but a nice surge at the end of the half gave the Sixers a seven-point lead at halftime, with Quentin Grimes leading all scorers with 16 points.
The second half started with Lonnie Walker and Quentin Grimes as the main ball handlers, creating most of the offense themselves. Walker IV has looked much more comfortable in extended minutes and did a little bit of everything. He drove to the basket, shot three-pointers confidently, and rebounded the basketball. Walker, just like a few of the other guys, is auditioning for not only a spot on the Sixers next season but also other teams.
The vets played early in the second half but gave way to the young guys tonight. The young lineup was able to push their single-digit halftime lead to 18 points going into the final quarter. The Jazz made a run of their own, led by Keyonte George, who finally got it going on offense after an abysmal first three quarters. He got to the free throw line early in the fourth, which helped him get into a nice rhythm.
Utah was able to trim the lead to as few as two, but the Sixers were able to close them out after it seemed like the Jazz would get the ball after a Jared Butler turnover. Nick Nurse challenged the call and was successful, securing a 126-122 Sixers win. Philly was paced by Lonnie Walker and Quentin Grimes, who both scored 25 points. Utah also had a pair of 25-point scorers led them, Kyle Filipowski and Keyonte George.
Resting the vets
Before the game, Nick Nurse mentioned that he would be cutting back the minutes for some of his veterans and starters, not only for the games on Sunday and Monday but also for the future. If the Sixers aren’t in contention for the playoffs or play-in, there is no need to run these players into the ground. Guys like Grimes, Drummond, Yabusele, and Oubre Jr. have logged a lot of minutes this season.
In tonight’s contest, Drummond played 10 minutes, Yabusele played 12 minutes, and Oubre Jr. played 20 minutes. He let the bench mob play on the front end of a back-to-back, but when things got dicey in the fourth, he surprisingly brought Grimes back into the game.
In the end, if they are going to try to keep their first-round pick, there need to be more games where the normal rotation doesn’t play heavy minutes. Giving guys like Justin Edwards, Jared Butler, Lonnie Walker, and Adem Bona extended minutes will show you if they can be a part of the team’s future.
Finally feeling comfortable
Lonnie Walker IV signed a couple of hours before his window to sign with an NBA team was over while overseas. Since coming to Philadelphia, he hasn’t looked like the possible offensive spark that was expected and seen over the early part of his career.
After getting some extended minutes these last few games, he’s starting to get more comfortable. Tonight, he scored 25 points, pulled down 11 rebounds, and dished out five assists. He was aggressive tonight and trying to showcase that he still contributes in the NBA.
Grime time
After a few rough games after being traded, Grimes has cemented himself as someone the Sixers need to re-sign in the offseason. He has had some monster games in the last couple of weeks and is really showing some on-ball juice.
Grimes has shown the ability to navigate the pick-and-roll, taking tough shots and finding his teammates with drop-off passes or finding shooters on the weak side. He scored 25 points and 6 assists, which made it clear why he should be a priority to bring back as a restricted free agent.
