Sixers drop third straight, lose 132-123 in double overtime to the tanking Houston Rockets
Last night the Philadelphia 76ers died the slowest death possible and lost to the tanking Houston Rockets 132-123 in double overtime.
The 76ers got swept on their three-game road trip, with losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Memphis Grizzlies, and Houston Rockets. They are now back to .500 on the season at 12-12 and currently sit in the 7th seed of the Eastern Conference Standings.
Great.
James Harden returned to action for the first time since hitting the injured list on November 2nd. He finished the night with 21 points on 4-of-19 shooting from the floor, with seven assists and seven turnovers.
Joel Embiid scored 39 points on 12-of-21 shooting.
Embiid moved past Chet Walker into 10th place all-time in Sixers history for total points.
Tobias Harris dropped 27 points, hitting 7-of-8 three pointers, a career high.
Originally tweeted by Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) on December 6, 2022.
Sixers Box Score Leaders
- Joel Embiid: 39 PTS, 7 REB, 7 AST, 2 STL
- Tobias Harris: 27 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 3 STL
- James Harden: 21 PTS, 4 REB, 7 AST, 2 STL
- Shake Milton: 11 PTS, 4 AST, 1 STL
- De’Anthony Melton: 9 PTS, 8 REB, 6 AST, 2 STL
You’d think the 76ers would win a basketball game with Embiid, Harris, and Harden all scoring 20+ points, right?
Still, the Rockets outlasted the Sixers thanks to Jalen Green scoring 27 points and Kevin Porter Jr scoring 24, moving Houston to 7-17 on the season. Now, the Philadelphia 76ers will return home for a seven game homestand beginning Friday night against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Last night was a sloppy game. Embiid and Harden combined for 12 turnovers and Harden, clearly shaking off some rust just wasn’t himself handling the ball. His decision-making at times, was questionable while Embiid, fouled out with just under three seconds to play in the first overtime.
It’s pretty obvious the 76ers aren’t what we expected through the first 24 games of the season but still, I can’t find much reason for concern outside of head coach Doc Rivers. Nothing describes the coaching issues more than the final play in regulation last night.
Just look at this disaster and that tells you everything you need to know.
Originally tweeted by Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) on December 6, 2022.
Regardless, injuries have plagued this team through the early part of this season and if you are a basketball fan, then you already know the real season doesn’t even begin until Christmas.
Hopefully, Embiid and company will be able to keep things above water until then.
