The Philadelphia 76ers (2-12) finished a road trip against the Memphis Grizzlies (9-7) as the frustrations of their rough start have started to surface. The Sixers finally got to see their star trio go to work. Despite that and Joel Embiid playing a great game, their results stayed the same, losing 117-111.
Coming into this game, it was essentially make-or-break time for the Sixers. After a brutally honest meeting in Miami and the contents of said meeting being leaked, this was the game where things needed to turn around. Tyrese Maxey was listed as questionable but suited up alongside Embiid AND Paul George for the first time. Although the guard of the trio was on a minutes restriction, uniting him, the forward and the big man that Philly has bet its championship hopes on was a huge deal.
The Grizzlies were without Ja Morant, Zach Edey, Marcus Smart and more, making it easier for Philly (who was without Kyle Lowry hip injury) to secure its third win of the season. It didn’t matter.
Here are three takeaways from the 76ers’ first game with their new Big 3.
The stars align…for a handful of minutes
After 13 games, the 76ers’ star trio played its first game. Like a Godzilla movie, the monster trio was billed as one of the biggest draws but didn’t get a lot of screen time. In what few minutes Embiid, Maxey and George all played together, they didn’t cause that much carnage.
Nick Nurse rested them at the same time at the end of the first quarter. Suppose it was his way of giving them the most amount of minutes together in this game, fine. But to keep pace with Memphis, it required McCain to cook in a lineup with compromised spacing, featuring both Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andre Drummond. The benefit of having three stars should be to have at least one on the floor at all times.
Embiid shot four foul shots in the first quarter after just his second NBA game without attempting any. He bullied his way into the paint for close buckets to open the game. In the second half, he punctured the Memphis defense with silky jumpers from the nail. Getting back to the area of the floor where he dominated in the past made it easier for the big man to do just that.
After getting called out in a team meeting, Embiid reminded everyone how great he can be. For the most part, this was a very promising performance, one where he looked good throughout the contest. Bumping knees with Jaren Jackson Jr. didn’t knock him from the game, though it did give everyone another quick scare. His final stat line: 35 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, 10-21 shooting from the field.
George was shy to advance the ball into somewhat tight spaces and shot the ball really poorly again. He also appeared to twist his ankle on a rebound attempt in the opening minute of the second half. He was diagnosed with the same issue that he suffered in the preseason: a left knee hyperextension.
Maxey played less than six minutes in the first half. He looked fine, moving as he usually does and scoring four points. He didn’t play again until the start of the second half, getting into his two-man game with Embiid that they dominated with last season but failing to shoot the ball efficiently. In his 20 minutes, he scored eight points on 3-13 shooting.
It wasn’t super shocking that they didn’t click right away, especially when injuries limited how much two of them could play. Unfortunately, George may be headed toward another multi-game absence, instituting another wait for the Big 3 to assemble. Fingers crossed that the injury is less severe this time.
McCain, Martin remain in starting lineup
Nick Nurse decided to keep Jared McCain and Caleb Martin in the starting unit alongside the stars. It was the right call. This starting lineup has the most potential — and both of them showed why.
The Grizzlies were locked in on each of the Philly stars, allowing McCain to attack plenty of open space. He once again uplifted the Sixers in his minutes, manning the lineup even without the help of any star teammates. What more can be said about his rapid ascension? His polished style of play kept Philly afloat for longer than it had any business doing and earned him yet another 20-point performance.
Jared McCain with another dunk, taking full advantage of the spacing/defensive attention from his star teammates. A smart player like him should feast with defenses worried about so much firepower around himpic.twitter.com/vIK9DdUhgT
— Sam DiGiovanni (@BySamDiGiovanni) November 21, 2024
Martin’s on-the-move passing led to good looks. Being a connective piece on offense is exactly what the 76ers should want around their all-world scorers. Defensively, he made some loud plays and opened up transition opportunities, tallying four stocks and four assists.
76ers simply don’t play good enough to win
This was another one of those games where Nurse goes deep into his bench early in the game. He played 11 players in the first half — every active player on the 15-man roster besides KJ Martin and Adem Bona. For all the lineup combinations he threw out, nothing stuck, or at least for very long.
The shorthanded Grizzlies, who showed no lack of energy dispute playing on the second night of a back-to-back, got the ball into the paint with flashes to the middle and did a good job on the offensive glass, though the Sixers followed their own misses pretty well. It helped that they simply had more misses to turn into rebounds, as they made just four of their 18 threes in the first half while Memphis went 13-26. Teams can shoot like that when they move the ball and put the defense on its heels.
The Sixers had their chances to turn the tides, getting the deficit to under five at several points in the second half. But they let up down the stretch. It’s the most consistent part of their inconsistent season, allowing the Grizzlies to set a new season-high in triples and go on a 14-6 run that put the game away.
Even late in the fourth quarter, when nine straight points made it a six-point game, Embiid lost the ball on his way to the paint. It sailed out of bounds, taking the Sixers’ hopes of a comeback with them. Even though they never said die, they once again let go for long enough in the second half.
Guerschon Yabusele once again showed why he shouldn’t be left out of the rotation for even a single game. He fits like a glove on offense with his shooting and passing. Without his lights-out shooting from deep, making five of his six attempts, the Sixers fall way out of this game. No one else could get in a groove from beyond the arc.
If another role player deserves a shoutout, it’s Ricky Council IV. He got real minutes for the first time in a while and just did his thing: play with energy and take it hard to the paint.
The 76ers will be back home for the next week, beginning their next homestand on Friday against the Brooklyn Nets.
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