Sixers Routed by MCW and Milwaukee

By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)

Milwaukee 104, Philadelphia 88 – Box Score

With Milwaukee having #1 retired in honor of the great Oscar Robertson, Michael Carter-Williams made his Bucks debut sporting #5, the number his now-coach Jason Kidd wore for the majority of his illustrious playing career. For MCW and Bucks, it represented a fresh start and the dream of molding the next star point guard under the tutelage of one of the league’s former greats. For Sixers fans, last night was an absolute nightmare.

It wasn’t just that the Sixers were blown out by the Bucks. Because that already happened twice this season prior to Wednesday night; all the long-limbed defenders Milwaukee throws at you wreck havoc like the Cloverfield monster on a Sixers team with a propensity for a nausea-inducing number of turnovers even on a good night. The real thing that made Sixers fan want to curl up in the corner and repeatedly mutter everything is going to be alright was Michael Carter-Williams starting his Bucks career exactly how he started his Sixers one.

Less than a year and a half ago, MCW was clowning the defending champion Miami Heat, picking people’s pockets and leading one-man fast breaks for easy points around the rim. We saw the same thing from him in a Milwaukee uniform, as he recorded 7 points, 8 assists, and 2 steals against just 1 turnover in only 18 minutes of action. Two sequences especially stuck out in my mind. First, he put a nice move on Isaiah Canaan on the baseline and finished with a floater over Nerlens Noel, followed by some chippy words for Canaan heading down the court. I imagine he was saying there’s no way you’re worthy of filling my spot there. Then, after one particular powerful dunk, Carter-Williams flexed toward the Bucks bench, giving a little primal yell for the start of a new era.

To make matters worse for Philadelphians, MCW’s de-facto replacements were both awful on the evening. Both Canaan and Ish Smith committed 5 turnovers, as the team gave the ball away 19 times in the first half alone to head into halftime down 29 points. That’s a bad turnover total for an NBA team over 48 minutes, let alone a single half; they calmed down a bit coming out of the locker room but still finished with a whopping 28 giveaways. The team also looked disinterested defensively; Robert Covington was actually benched for a full two quarters after completely giving up on a play in the first quarter.

The lone bright spot on the night was Jason Richardson, who hit 4 of 8 threes for a team-high 16 points and was somehow a +1 in the box score. While Richardson playing reasonably well after such a long absence is the best feel-good story the Sixers have going right now, the more intriguing storyline last night was the play of newcomer Thomas Robinson. Now, I wouldn’t say Robinson played well, as he showed an unwillingness to shot a midrange jumper and instead barreled into the defender for a charge, looked atrocious at the free throw line, and I’m pretty sure missed the rim entirely on one lay-up attempt. Still, he’s an absolute behemoth on the glass, as we saw on his way to recording 7 points on 3-6 shooting and 6 rebounds in just 13 minutes. There’s something there; hopefully when Brett Brown has more time with Robinson than literally meeting the young man and sending him onto the court, the coach can unlock it.

Otherwise, it wasn’t one of the more fun nights to be a Sixers fan. While losses are ultimately beneficial, we still need a dash of competitiveness and entertainment along the way. The best news on the night came when both the Timberwolves and Lakers won their games; the way, the Sixers are playing, it looks like the second-worst overall record is all but secured. Come on Langston Galloway! Do your old college town a favor and lead those Knicks to a few more victories.