All Streaks Stop in Portland

By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)

Remember those impressive defensive strides the Sixers made in the month of December? Well, the day after Christmas, those were tossed away like all the torn-up wrapping paper and the sweater from Aunt Betty that was a bit too small and an ugly shade of olive. The Sixers had a legitimate chance to win their third straight game heading into the contest; LaMarcus Aldridge (upper respiratory illness) and Chris Kaman (impending birth of son) were both out, and Robin Lopez remains sidelined with a broken hand. The Trailblazers were left starting Thomas Robinson and Joel Freeland, but that didn’t matter with the Sixers’ perimeter defense reverting to early-season form.

All evening long, the Sixers allowed wide-open shot after wide-open shot, and when the long-range bombing had finally concluded, Portland had sank a season-high 18 threes. Wes Matthews threw up as many threes as the entire Sixers team, making 7 of his 14 attempts for 25 points. Even the most conservative coach couldn’t argue with his shot selection when he was as wide open as he was on the majority of his three balls. I mean, look at this.

You can watch that possession at the 0:54 mark of the clip below. JaKarr Sampson is playing defense like you would in a rec league when the other team only has 4 players. No JaKarr, Wes Matthews is on the floor too; he’s the guy scoring all the points.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97HaLOs7WXo]

When Matthews wasn’t draining threes, it was Damian Lillard doing the damage from all over the floor. Aside from the 7 turnovers, it was a strong game for Dame, who finished with a game-high 28 points and 9 assists, going 9-17 from the floor and 3-8 from downtown. Lillard has been tearing up the entire league the last couple weeks, but the Sixers still made things especially easy for him. Watch on this play after Lillard blows by Nerlens Noel at the top of the key, as exactly zero Sixers help defenders step in front of the player going right down the lane with the ball. Not ideal.

So that about sums up the Sixers’ night defensively; it was very disheartening to see after so much progress looked to have been made during their recent stretch of winning basketball. Offensively, the guards did a nice job attacking the rim with all the Blazers big men out of the lineup. Tony Wroten put on a show for the 70+ people from his hometown near Seattle who made the trip down I-5 to see him play. Wroten was good Tony on the night, leading the Sixers with 22 points on efficient 7-13 shooting and getting to the line repeatedly (7-9 on the night). Whatever it is about the air in the Pacific Northwest seems to bring out the best in him.

Michael Carter-Williams wasn’t quite as efficient as Wroten, but did finish with 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. I wouldn’t call it a positive night for him given his defense on Lillard, but at the very least, his floater in the lane continues to be a legitimate weapon, which is a nice bit of growth to see from him. K.J. McDaniels was the only other Sixer in double figures with 12 points; he finished with 3 blocks as well and now leads the team in blocks per game. He’s a wing…ridiculous.

Philly will look to bounce back tonight against the Jazz, who are in the midst of a rebuild every bit as much as the Sixers. I’m excited to see my first extended action of rookie Dante Exum, and the rim-protecting prowess of the Eiffel Tower, Rudy Gobert. Utah doesn’t have the long-range assassins that Portland does, but they have enough guys who can hit shots when they’re left completely alone. We’ll see if the Sixers are better in that area, and if Nerlens can bang around down low with Derrick Favors. Until tonight.