Through early March, the Philadelphia 76ers have been the NBA's worst third-quarter team by a large margin, with a -273 point differential and a -4.33 per-game average in the quarter. That total gap is 100 points worse than the next-worst team, the Indiana Pacers, who are taking a gap year due to the injury of All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton.
The problem has shown up game after game, flipping halftime leads into losses and truly endangering Philly's playoff positioning.
Almost every game, the Sixers start the third quarter flat, while opponents come out of halftime with clear adjustments. Other teams make halftime adjustments, and the Sixers seem unable to counter or withstand early runs from opponents.
The defensive scheme this year has been designed to be active, focusing on jumping into passing lanes and trapping to fuel transition opportunities. This defense also tends to give up wide-open corner threes and cheap fouls, so teams adjust at halftime to counter it, but the Sixers don't make their own changes.
Rebounding has continued to plague this team throughout the season and seems to really get the Sixers in trouble in the third quarter. The team consistently gives up offensive rebounds, creating second-chance opportunities that always lead to open three-pointers for opponents.
Combine all these issues, and you have a recipe for disaster, inviting opposing avalanches that spark their second-half collapses.
Are there any levers that the coaching staff can pull to fix their third-period issues this late in the season? There are some adjustments the Sixers could focus on to help save their season.
First, the team could focus on running some scripted plays after the break, rather than on stagnant possessions where they just watch Tyrese Maxey or Joel Embiid isolate. Get some creative movements on offense to make the opposing defense think and make decisions that could lead to open shooters or easy paint touches for the Sixers.
Philadelphia can also focus on straight-up defense in the third quarter, avoiding gambling that would lead to easy buckets for other teams. Don't put the team at a disadvantage early on, and as the quarter winds down, then coaches can make adjustments on defense. The team should also focus on boxing out and designating specific players to crash the glass, no matter what. It could hurt the team's fastbreak offense, but the Sixers need to secure the rebound first.
Lastly, Nick Nurse needs to commit to calling a timeout if a team goes on a 6-0 run in any situation early in the third. Nurse typically likes his teams to work through issues, but calling a timeout early to prevent a snowball effect will help the team reset and get a handle on strategy.
This isn't a mystery of advanced math as much as it's an issue with bad habits. The Sixers need to be better at executing halftime adjustments, rebounding, and shot selection. The evidence is consistent, from the 49‑point third-quarter performance by the Portland Trail Blazers to the 40‑point third quarter by the New Orleans Pelicans; the team needs to perform better after the first half.
Tighten the opening script, pre‑assign matchups, crash the glass, and install automatic timeouts. Do those small things, and the Sixers can chop the third‑quarter bleed in half down the stretch, which will be the difference between a play‑in sweat and a guaranteed first‑round game at Xfinity Mobile Arena as the sixth seed.
