Sixers Pay a Steep Price to Break 13-Game Skid

By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)

Philadelphia 95, Brooklyn 89 – Box Score

It’s very much like the 2015-16 Philadelphia 76ers that on a night that they break a 13-game losing streak, an occasion that should cause for much rejoicing, a gloomy pall was cast over the whole proceeding.

The bad tidings began earlier in the day with the news that 3rd overall pick Jahlil Okafor would miss the rest of the season with a torn meniscus in his right knee. Whether we’ve seen him on the court in a Sixers uniform for the last time is a topic of discussion for another day, but it’s certainly the last thing fans wanted to see after a rookie season that was equal parts promising and frustrating from the Duke product.

Then, as the remaining Sixers were doing battle with their doppelgangers in misery, the Nets, there was a gruesome on-court collision between Robert Covington and Jerami Grant. Covington had to be taken off the court on a stretcher and was later transported to Jefferson Hospital with an unspecified neck injury. Right away, that’s simply scary life stuff, even beyond the scope of a basketball season. All the best wishes for a promising diagnosis for RoCo.

For his part in the matter, Jerami Grant also left the game and was being evaluated for a concussion. Later on, as if the team wasn’t having nearly enough fun already, Richaun Holmes exited the game with a strained right achilles. They talk about a military-esque “Next Man Up” mentality in sports all the time, but this was literally happening by the minute for the Sixers Friday night.

If there was one silver lining, it was that the Sixers were up against Brooklyn, the team who Philadelphia not only last beat before the 13-game losing skid began, but also a squad on the final game of a nine-game road trip. The Nets certainly looked like they had tired legs all evening, shooting just 37.9% from the field and 5-17 from the three.

One guy who doesn’t have tired legs, mostly because he’s been on the bench for most of the season, is Carl Landry. The veteran forward led the Sixers with 16 points off the bench, finishing 7-9 from the field and collecting 8 rebounds. Landry was the go-to-guy for the Sixers whenever the Nets were making a bit of a run, most prominently with just inside of 4 minutes left in the game, hitting a jumper to pump the Philly lead back to seven.

Nerlens Noel had a solid outing as well, recording 13 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals, and 3 blocks. He tangled throughout the game with the strong Brooklyn frontcourt duo of Brook Lopez (game-high 24 points and 3 blocks) and Thad Young (21 points and 9 rebounds), who were the only Nets players to put forth much of a fight on the evening.

When it’s all said and done, it’s great for the morale of the club to finally get back on the win column. You hate to have that long losing streak hanging over your head if you’re one of the players. Most importantly though, let’s hope for nothing serious from the diagnosis for Robert Covington, a successful upcoming surgery for Jahlil Okafor, and good health for the rest of the injured guys on the roster. If nothing else, the Sixers are certainly due some good fortune.