Summer Sixers Fall to Portland Trail Blazers, 97-95: What we learned

The Summer League Sixers dropped a razor-thin matchup on Monday night against the Portland Trail blazers. The final socre was 97-95. 

Takeaways from a tight Summer League loss

Despite the tough loss, the Sixers had a decent game overall. Ricky Council IV continued to be a standout. He not only led the team in scoring 18 points – including a phenomenal three from the logo – but excelled at getting to the line with a whopping 14 (nine made) free-throw attempts 

First-round draft pick Jared McCain finally started showing his shooting ability, making two shots from beyond the arc in the first quarter alone. But his shots just didn’t connect for the rest of the game as he went just 3-10 from three and missed a late jumper to seal the win. While it’d be nice to see more flashes of McCain’s shooting prowress in Summer League, he’ll certainly have more opportunities to show off his transition skills when playing next to Joel Embiid and Paul George. 

Another factor in the loss was Blazers’ first-round pick Donovan Clingan, who went seventh overall in the draft this year. Despite Adem Bona’s best efforts, he simply didn’t have the length to match Clingan’s 7-foot-3 frame, nabbing just four rebounds to Clingan’s 11. And in trying to make up for the height difference, Bona found himself in foul trouble with an almost comical eight fouls (up to ten are allowed in Summer League). 

What next for the Sixers?

The Sixers will be back at it Tuesday evening at 8pm EST against the 2-0 Minnesota Timberwolves as they look to get back in the win column in Vegas.