The Philadelphia 76ers took on the Portland Trail Blazers in the fifth and final matchup of their Western Conference road trip. In a game that saw both sides short-handed, the Blazers outmatched the Sixers thanks to their more impressive depth and an apparent inability to miss from three-point range.
The Sixers opened up this matchup against Portland at a major size disadvantage. Without Joel Embiid, Paul George, Dominick Barlow and even Quentin Grimes—who is at least tied as the tallest of the Sixers' four guards—Philadelphia faced a Portland lineup full of tall and lengthy defenders featuring former Sixers Jrue Holiday and Jerami Grant, Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan.
Forward Trendon Watford took the lead, forcing his way into the paint with authority, setting the tone for the Sixers as Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre followed his example as the team scored an impressive 18 first-quarter points in the game, overcoming Portland's hot start from range and Philadelphia's own shooting struggles to take the quarter 31-29.
Philadelphia made a push initially in the second quarter, working the lead to as many as 10 before a three-point barrage by the Blazers closed the gap. The Blazers would go on a 19-8 run, taking the lead and re-energizing their home crowd as they eventually ended the half down by just a single point.
A well-balanced attack saw the Blazers fight their way back into the game while the Sixers were led by Kelly Oubre (nine), Justin Edwards (eight), and VJ Edgecombe in the quarter (seven).
Little was noteworthy in this game, at least in a positive sense, but this game did mark the debut of Sixers' two-way player MarJon Beauchamp. In an understandably uneven performance, Beauchamp was overall impressive, stuffing the statsheet with 10 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Not bad for a team debut.
Third quarter nightmare
The third quarter has been a struggle for the Sixers all season long. Entering the night with a total third-quarter margin of -207 in 52 games played, Philadelphia's struggles hit a new low in this game.
Portland sank eight shots from range for 24 points while adding another 14 in the paint. The Blazers simply owned the court for nearly the entirety of the quarter, with the Sixers scoring just seven points midway through the quarter and only 22 by its end.
Following tonight's performance, the Sixers' total and average third-quarter margin of loss have only increased to -234 (though some would say it feels like -434) and -4.4, respectively, as they remain dead last in the league in third-quarter point differential.
The greatest mercy the team received in this game was that it was not unending. Philadelphia continued to linger about in the fourth, managing a four-point advantage halfway through the quarter, but saw a line change heading into the final minutes of the game.
The Sixers would go on to win the quarter by 31-22, but it was too little too late, and they fell to the Blazers by a final score of 135-118.
Philadelphia returns home for a Wednesday matchup against the New York Knicks. Hopefully, Barlow and Grimes overcome their illness, and it does not spread further, as the Sixers cannot afford to spare a single player with their lack of depth.
Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 11.
