By Sean Kennedy
Memphis 117, Philadelphia 95
Memphis needs every win they can get down the stretch to make it into the Hunger Games that will be the Western Conference playoffs, while the Sixers just need this season to be over. Events basically transpired along those lines Friday night, as the Grizzlies used a punishing interior attack to put the Sixers away early. Facing the duo of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, the Sixers tried to cross-match and put Thad Young on Gasol to start and Henry Sims on Z-Bo. On the very first play of the game, Gasol bullied Thad down low for a three-point play. With 5 inches on Young, the big Spaniard continued to dominate in the paint so Philly switched and put Sims on Gasol, but that didn’t work either. I’m pretty sure the Sixers tried throwing an actual Grizzly at the Memphis center but nothing could slow him down as he finished with 11 points in the first quarter. That performance set the tone for a Grizzlies team that scored a whopping 60 points in the paint; Gasol finished with a game-high 21 points and 10 rebounds, while sitting out the entire 4th quarter of extended garbage time.
When Memphis wasn’t running their own personal house of pain on the interior, they found Mike Miller for a three-point barrage on the outside. Miller hit all 3 of his attempts behind the arc for 13 points in the first half, ending the game with a season-high-tying 19 points. I understand the Sixers were getting abused down low, but Miller is basically the only significant outside shooting threat on the Grizzlies; there was no excuse to continually leave him wide-open like they did.
While the Sixers couldn’t slow down Memphis defensively, it also wasn’t a banner night on the offensive end either. Thad Young had his jumper falling (team-high 18 points), but he was more or less alone in that area. Tony Wroten finished with 18 points against his former team, but 10 of those points came in the fourth quarter against the Memphis reserves so don’t let the raw stats fool you. Finally, Michael Carter-Williams actually did a nice job once again running the point, recording 5 assists against just 1 turnover. However, he was 0-5 on shots outside the paint, leading to his 4-13 shooting line on the evening. It’s nights like these that remind us why he wasn’t a high lottery pick when he has so many other things he brings to the table. It’s hard to succeed as a point guard if you can’t knock down an outside shot consistently.
Anyway, the Memphis win combined with a Phoenix loss to San Antonio moved the Grizzlies back into the 8th spot in the West. Meanwhile, the Sixers have three games remaining before we can turn our full attention toward the draft, with a contest in Charlotte tonight next on the docket.
Notable Observations:
- We were provided some comic relief when Jon Leuer was rejected by the rim late in the fourth quarter, a play that will surely find its way to the Sportscenter Not Top 10. With the rim providing the best defense for the Sixers on the night, Sam Hinkie is in negotiations to sign it to a 10-day contract.
Tanking Implications:
Hope is alive! After Cleveland saw Atlanta had won, officially eliminating them from the playoffs, they laid down in the second half and Milwaukee came away with the victory. The Sixers are now just two games better than the Bucks in the standings for the worst overall record. Can Milwaukee win 2 of their final 3 games? No, probably not. But you’re saying there’s a chance. In other good lottery news, the Pelicans have now lost 7 straight with Anthony Davis continuing to sit out. They’re now tied with Cleveland for the 9th worst record in the league. The Sixers could be looking at the #2 and #9 overall picks this summer. It was a good thing there was positive news around the league because the Sixers’ product on the court was not encouraging. 3/5 tanks
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