LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers suffered their worst loss of the season earlier this week at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers went on the road on Wednesday to try to get revenge against Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans.
Prior to the start of the game, Philly encountered some unfavorable situations. The Sixers not only kept winning without Kelly Oubre, Jaden Springer, and veteran center Joel Embiid, but they also realized they wouldn’t be able to compete without him.
For the second time in a week, Embiid was ruled out due to an unexpected illness. Given that Embiid frequently puts on outstanding performances against the Pelicans, it was clear that Embiid’s departure would have an impact on the Sixers.
That was evident from the start. The Sixers played from behind for the entirety of the first half of the game due to their careless two-way play during the first two quarters of play, which put them behind by ten points.
Discouraging first half carried over into second half. The Sixers failed to focus and mount a coherent comeback, committing careless plays and projecting a frustrated team image. With a late-quarter run, they gave Philly a brief glimpse of life, but it came too little, too late. The Sixers will thus begin their brief road trip with a defeat, falling to New Orleans 124-114.
The biggest surprise of Wednesday was Mo Bamba’s early check-in, but many were shocked when Joel Embiid was ruled out due to illness 30 minutes before tip.
Once more, Nick Nurse started with a small-ball starting lineup, replacing Embiid with Marcus Morris. When Morris initially got off the floor, Bamba checked in rather than Paul Reed.
Before the game on Wednesday, Bamba was hardly a regular in the rotation. He played an average of just three minutes per game while appearing in just seven of the Sixers’ seventeen games. Bamba was unable to capitalize on his early possession as he was flagged for two fouls in the span of four minutes. After his second foul, he was no longer on the floor.
