Kawhi Leonard, Paul George & the Clippers awaited a Sixers team depleted of their All-Stars at Staples Center on Sunday. The main storyline heading into the game was if Tobias Haris & Al Horford could carry the load in lieu of Ben Simmons & Joel Embiid.

The Sixers came out firing, dropping 39 points in the first quarter, hitting 7/11 from deep. Philadelphia lost another starter early in the 2nd, however, with Josh Richardson bumping into Alec Burks and going down with a concussion. The mountain proved too tall to climb for the short-handed Sixers, falling to the Clippers 136-130.

Josh Richardson also has a concussion. He has been entered into concussion protocol. Another update expected tomorrow.

— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) March 1, 2020

Shaken, Not Stirred

Shake Milton single-handedly kept the Sixers competitive throughout. He picked up right where he left off the last two games, scoring 39 points on 14/20 shooting and going 7/9 from deep. Milton is 22/30 from 3 over his last 5 games. During the game, he tied the NBA record for most consecutive 3PM with 13, one less than the amount of 3’s he made all of last season. He also contributed 5 assists, 3 rebounds, and a steal in 39 minutes, and he was doing it against elite defenders. When (or if) Simmons returns, the debate on who should be the backup point guard should be over. The answer has always been there, they’ve just been hiding him behind Neto all year.

Shake Milton balled out for a career day:

♨️ 39 Pts (career-high)
♨️ 14-20 FG
♨️ 7-9 3-PT FG pic.twitter.com/zb1fsQWFKX

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 1, 2020

Clippers Were Too Much To Overcome

The Sixers held a 7-point lead midway through the 3rd before LA went on a 28-9 run and never looked back. Brett Brown had yet another questionable moment down the stretch taking out a red-hot Shake Milton in favor of a struggling Alec Burks. Kawhi Leonard finished the game with 30 points while Paul George, Lou Williams & Montrezl Harrell each finished with 24. It’s tough to beat any team when they get 61 bench points from 3 players, even with a fully healthy roster. Tobias Harris ended the game with 25 & Horford had 12 points, 8 rebounds & 6 assists before fouling out. We knew that the Sixers had an uphill battle ahead of them, but they were able to contend with the full-strength Clippers down 3 starters and Shake Milton is displaying a level of confidence not often seen in second-year players. If there is any silver lining to Ben Simmons being out, it’s that the Sixers are now discovering what they have in the emerging Shake Milton.

With the loss, Philly is now 9-22 on the road this season.

The Shake Milton Show was something else. He’s been playing with confidence most of this season but he was in complete command & didn’t duck when the Clippers tilted their defensive attention in his direction. Sixers took an L but should be encouraged because Shake ain’t scared.

— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) March 1, 2020

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