The Sixers have still not reached a turning point.
They slid to yet another dispiriting loss on Wednesday night, falling 117-111 to the Grizzlies, and will head home from an 0-3 road trip at a ghastly 2-12 overall this season.
A team meeting Monday night in Miami did not inspire a win over the shorthanded Grizzlies, whose list of injured players injured Ja Morant, Marcus Smart and Zach Edey. Memphis moved to 9-7.
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Paul George came out of the game in the third quarter with a left knee hyperextension (more on that below).
Kyle Lowry opened the night on the sidelines because of a right hip strain. Tyrese Maxey returned from a right hamstring injury. He played 20 minutes in his first action since Nov. 6 and had eight points on 3-for-13 shooting.
Joel Embiid posted 35 points and 11 rebounds. Jaren Jackson Jr. (25 points) and Desmond Bane (21) were the Grizzlies’ leading scorers.
The Sixers will start a three-game homestand Friday night vs. the Nets and continue with a season that’s rapidly descended to a dark, dark place.
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Here are observations on their loss to Memphis:
Much-improved Embiid
The first couple of minutes were not encouraging for Embiid.
He got stripped of the ball on a drive about 30 seconds into the night. Shortly after that, Memphis double teamed Embiid and he searched in vain for open teammates before flipping up a very long, air-balled hook shot as the 24 seconds expired. He clapped his hands in frustration.
Embiid followed up an extremely rare zero-free throw night Monday by drawing four foul shots in the first quarter. The Sixers made sure to get him regular post-up and isolation touches early and he posted 10 first-quarter points, including a fadeaway jumper over Jackson. The offense certainly wasn’t humming all game long, but Embiid looked much closer to normal in terms of aggressively seeking to score.
Embiid also shot his mid-range jumper far better than he’d done in his three prior outings this season, which always helps.
He managed to play a season-high 35 minutes, including the entire third quarter. Embiid limped to the bench with 3:29 to go in the fourth after appearing to bump his right knee against Jackson, but he stayed in for the remainder of the game.
Maxey highly limited
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse told reporters in Memphis pregame that Maxey would have a “pretty short” minutes restriction. He wasn't kidding.
Maxey played the first 5 minutes and 29 seconds of the first quarter. That was it for the first half and he didn't snap into form after halftime.
Maxey started the scoring with a banked-in floater after rejecting an Embiid ball screen, but he didn't make a field goal again until the fourth quarter. The Sixers began 0 for 8 from three-point range and Maxey had three of those misses.
Naturally, Jared McCain canned the Sixers’ first long-range shot. The rookie notched a sixth consecutive 20-point game Wednesday and also tallied a team-high five assists.
He played the full first quarter and served as a lead guard in some bench-heavy lineups. Nurse seemed to be looking for anything that might work, using 11 players in the first half.
The Sixers had too many defensive breakdowns in both half court and transition, failing to bring the necessary focus and attention to detail. Grizzlies sharpshooter Luke Kennard lined up two consecutive wide-open threes early in the second quarter and made them both. He then pump faked, drove baseline and got the Sixers’ defense scrambling, which led to a Jay Huff corner three.
Bane found his jumper in the second quarter, hitting several well-guarded shots, and the Sixers faced a 10-point halftime deficit. George had just two of their 53 points on 1-for-6 shooting.
George exits, Sixers' troubles worsen
Less than a minute into the third quarter, George exited. He hobbled around awkwardly after securing a defensive rebound and went back to the Sixers’ locker room. Guerschon Yabusele subbed in.
George did not return and the Sixers later called his injury a “left knee hyperextension.” The 34-year-old hyperextended the same knee during the same preseason and was diagnosed with a bone bruise that caused him to sit out the Sixers' first five games of the regular season. The Sixers will hope for confirmation that this particular issue is minor.
Yabusele (17 points on 6-for-8 shooting) didn't mind an extended run in the third quarter whatsoever. He scored the Sixers' first six points of the period on two long-distance jumpers.
Embiid and Yabusele carried the offense in the third quarter, but the Sixers seemed likely to struggle once their All-Star big man sat. Sure enough, Memphis dominated with Andre Drummond on the court early in the fourth quarter. Following a Drummond travel inside, Bane hit a step-back three over him that gave the Grizzlies a 105-89 advantage. Memphis' lead got as large as 20 points.
The Sixers belatedly ratcheted up their level of desperation, cutting their deficit to 115-111 on a driving Embiid bucket, but a miraculous, last-ditch comeback wouldn't have aligned at all with the brutal state of the team. They're now 0-1 when Embiid, George and Maxey all suit up and it's uncertain when they'll have a full-strength star trio.