Thanks to some impressive late-game defense, the Philadelphia 76ers stormed back against the Utah Jazz for a 106-102 victory.
The Sixers hosted the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night on the second night of a back-to-back, looking to bounce back from two straight losses, including an embarrassing 40-point drubbing by the San Antonio Spurs on national television.
To add insult to injury, not only did the Sixers lose the game to the Spurs, but they lost standout rookie VJ Edgecombe to a back injury at the end of the half and did not return to the game.
The Jazz came in on a six-game losing streak and in worse shape than the Sixers, but with much lower expectations. Utah is actively tanking this year, hoping to keep its own top-eight protected pick, which would go to the Oklahoma City Thunder if it falls out of the first eight spots in the draft lottery.
With the Jazz looking to tank, their injury report for this matchup was extensive, including Jaren Jackson Jr., Walker Kessler, Lauri Markkanen, Jusuf Nurkic, and Vince Williams Jr. The Sixers matched Utah’s long list and would be without Joel Embiid, Kelly Oubre Jr., Paul George, and VJ Edgecombe.
The first quarter started with a made three-pointer from Tyrese Maxey, and from that moment, the Jazz decided to trap him on every ball screen early. With Will Hardy deploying this strategy early, Maxey took advantage and got others involved and was able to get his own when wide open. The subs for the shorthanded Sixers, including Justin Edwards, Tyrese Martin, and Jabari Walker, provided an offensive boost.
Edwards and Walker both combined for five early three-pointers, with Walker seemingly having the hot hand early with four of the five. For the Jazz, second-year guard Isaiah Collier gave them a spark off the bench, scoring 12 points in the first stint of the game.
Collier bullied his way to the rim for either a bucket or a free throw, playing with the physicality he showed in his one year at USC. Thanks to the young guards' play, the Jazz stayed in the game and kept it competitive, trailing by only five points at halftime.
The dreaded third quarter started for the Sixers, and just like the majority of the season, it didn’t start well. The Jazz went on a 10-2 run to start the period, with Jazz guard Keyonte George finally getting some shots to go through the net.
Utah took their first lead of the night early in the quarter and kept the Sixers at arm's distance for much of the quarter. Ace Bailey started contributing for the visitors as well, showing his tough shot-making, which made him an intriguing offensive prospect.
Jabari Walker, who continued to have one of his best appearances of the season, came right in and gave the Sixers instant offense to keep up with the Jazz. Utah scored 35 points in the third quarter and outscored Philly by six points to take an 83-82 lead into the fourth quarter.
With Maxey getting a small rest to start the final quarter, Tyrese Martin did his best to contribute to an otherwise bad night from everyone outside of Walker and Maxey. Utah built a six-point lead with just over four minutes left, and the Sixers looked like they were dead in the water.
Somehow, Maxey, Quentin Grimes, Adem Bona, and Jabari Walker brought the Sixers back from the depths to outscore the Jazz 12-2 in the final minutes to get a much-needed 106-102 win. Tyrese Maxey (25 points and six assists) and Jabari Walker (22 points and 10 rebounds) paced Philly. Keyonte George scored 30 points for Utah, but it wasn’t enough.
Philadelphia travels to Atlanta on Saturday to faceoff against the Hawks, who are continuing their push up the Eastern Conference standings. The game is slated for a 6 p.m. tip-off.
