The Sixers continued their Western Conference road trip Sunday night with a matchup in Atlanta against Trae Young and the Hawks.
It was the same old song and pony show—or dog and dance—for the Sixers, as it has been for the past ten games. Philadelphia continues to compete offensively, effectively even so, but their inability to defend leads to a loss all the same.
Quentin Grimes and Justin Edwards once again led the way in scoring for Philadelphia, further improving their impressive young start to their careers in Philadelphia.
Grimes has now completed his 20th game with the Sixers and now averages 21.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.6 steals while shooting 38.7% from deep from three on 7.5 attempts per game.
Meanwhile, Edwards has scored 18-plus points in four straight games. His average is now up to 9.7 points per game and 12.9 points per game since the All-Star break. Edwards has seized the opportunity so far, but there’s still more work to be done to secure a legitimate role moving forward.
The biggest knocks on Edwards coming out of college were his lack of handles and consistent shooting. He’s done well to address those deficiencies, but not enough to completely erase them. Still. Edwards is just 37 games into his NBA career, and his early results have been massively positive, weighed against expectations.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on your perspective, despite Grimes and Edwards’s best efforts, the Sixers fell by a final score of 119-132, thanks to 20-plus point performances by Trae Young, Zaccharie Risacher, and former Sixer Georges Niang.
Sixers standings update
The Brooklyn Nets had the evening off, but the Toronto Raptors and the New Orleans Pelicans both played, impacting the reverse standings all the same.
The Raptors were blown out by the Spurs in Toronto as the Raptors continue to rest star players like Immanuel Quickly and Jakob Poeltl without any repercussions from the league.
Meanwhile, the Pelicans are coming off of a loss to the Detroit Pistons. Like Philadelphia and Toronto, many of New Orleans’ players missed the game, but due to injury, not an egregious additional rest game.
Up next for the Sixers
It’s a quick turnaround for Philadelphia, who now heads to New Orleans to face off against the Pelicans. Having lost two straight and with nearly as many injuries as the Sixers, New Orleans’s season is almost over.
It will be the ultimate East vs. West Coast tank-off. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. you can catch the game live on NBC Sports Philadelphia or listen live at 97.5 FM, the Fanatic.
