6-5.
Kings - 109, Sixers - 108.
This loss shouldn't have happened, but I hope someone learns something. For three quarters, it seemed like no one wanted to play defense, and they played down to the Kings. Joel finally came alive in the fourth, but the Sixers ended up in a fight with a Kings team that they never should've been in.
And once again, they blew a late game lead, up by six with 1:30 left, they led Sacramento go on a 7-0 run to end the game, capped off by terrible shot by Joel to end the game. Yeah, Joel had 24 and 15, but those two late game plays - getting blocked by Culley-Stein after his rebound instead of kicking it out, and that bad jumper on that last possession - was the game. I see so many holes in Joel's post play. Like I said, as good as he can be sometimes, he needs to get at Hakeem next summer and learn how to drive and move in the paint much better.
Ben was real efficient, scoring 18 on 6/8 shooting, but why didn't he run the offense in the guts of the game? I don't know what Coach Brown was was doing, but they need to re-evaluate that goin forward.
One last thing: lost in the all the Ben and Joel talk, barely anyone is giving props to Robert Covington. That dude is making shit happen everywhere on the floor, and leads the league in 3PT shooting % at 50.0% even. He's out there balling consistently. Hope he keeps this up. He'd be a real choice for the Most Improved Player award.
https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/929000405069172736
Yep. Makes perfect sense. Get him now locked up before the market get a whiff of him.
*PSIghs* This is one of those losses that you just SYH at, cause that was a real change to establish some position in the conference.
Next up: Saturday @ Golden State.