Boston Storms the Sixers in Ugly Defeat

By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)

Boston 112, Philadelphia 92 – Box Score

With the blizzard of 2016 barreling down on the East Coast, the NBA postponed Saturday’s Sixers-Celtics game for Sunday night. The only problem was it looked like somebody forgot to tell the Sixers, who came out with one of their worst defensive performances of the season in a listless loss to Boston. The only silver lining was not too many people had to witness this game in person, with the Wells Fargo Center sparsely attended due to poor road conditions around the Philadelphia area.

Boston had open shots from behind the arc basically any time they chose, finishing the game 11-25 from three, led by Jae Crowder’s 4-6 mark for 20 points. Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart each also drained three triples, with Smart also chipping in with a game-high 4 steals.

As a team, the Celtics recorded 14 steals overall, contributing to Philadelphia’s 24 turnovers on the night. Isaiah Canaan somehow managed to turn the ball over 5 times in just 15 minutes. Meanwhile, Ish Smith probably had his worst game this season as Sixer, shooting just 3-12 from the field and sporting a game-worst -36 plus/minus.

Even a usually upbeat Brett Brown seemed despondent after the game.

#Sixers Brown: ': I don't even know what team I saw tonight. We were poor. I don't know why. We just didn't come with the energy.'

— Tom Moore (@TomMoorePhilly) January 25, 2016

The only guy for the Sixers who did anything offensively was Robert Covington, who started 5-5 from three, finishing 6-13 behind the arc for a game-high 25 points. T.J. McConnell also was the rare Sixer to play with energy, recording 8 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals in just 15 minutes. T.J.’s hustle did backfire for him at one point, when he suffered a huge gash on his leg after a collision with a chair courtside. McConnell did head to the locker room, but was able to return to the game; he was not expected to require stitches.

Nik Stauskas returned to action after missing a few games with a shoulder injury. He certainly looked rusty, hitting the side of the backboard with a corner three immediately upon entering the game. Stauskas finished 0-4 from three, adding an airball later in the game. Hopefully, Sauce will return to his pre-injury form within short order, as he had been shooting the ball well in 2016 prior to Sunday night.

The Sixers will look to shake off this bad performance Tuesday night against the Suns, a team they’ve already defeated on the season and a group in quite a freefall themselves.