Sixers’ bench carries the load in a totally unnecessary and frustrating win over the Utah Jazz, 126-122

No Joel Embiid. No Tyrese Maxey. No Paul George (we’re just going with the bit at this point). Didn’t matter. Quentin Grimes dropped 25, and the Sixers’ bench absolutely exploded for 78 points as Philly held off the Utah Jazz, 126-122, on Sunday night.

Lonnie Walker IV (25 points, 11 rebounds), Jared Butler (15 points), and Adem Bona (14 points, 15 rebounds) led the charge, with Bona basically eating every loose ball in sight.

For a game that didn’t feature most of the stars, this one somehow turned into absolute chaos down the stretch. The Sixers were cruising with a 22-point lead with under nine minutes left, only to have Utah unleash hell in the final minutes.

Keyonte George and Brice Sensabaugh started bombing threes, and just like that, the Jazz cut it to six in the closing seconds. Kyle Filipowski (25 points) even drilled two deep threes in the final 10 seconds, but Philly hung on thanks to free throws and a key replay review that went in their favor.

Shoutout to the Sixers’ Bench…I guess

It’s tough to be excited about great performances when the entire city of Philadelphia wants nothing more than losses for the Sixers right now but I guess we can highlight a few great performances while also being pissed this team won the game.

🔥 Lonnie Walker IV: 25 points, 11 rebounds, and some clutch buckets
🔥 Adem Bona: 14 points, 15 rebounds, absolute chaos on the glass
🔥 Jared Butler: 15 points, including two massive back-to-back threes in the third quarter
🔥 Total bench points: 78 (!!!)

A Game Plagued by Wild Momentum Shifts

This game felt like two different stories and ended horribly for the Sixers:

📉 First Quarter: Utah jumps out to a 16-point lead, thanks to Filipowski cooking early

📈 Second Quarter: Sixers flip the switch, outscoring the Jazz 38-26 to take a 65-58 lead at halftime

🚀 Third Quarter: Philly blows the doors off with an 18-6 run, pushing the lead to 18 entering the fourth

😱 Fourth Quarter: The Jazz nearly pull off an insane comeback (wish they did), hitting six threes late before running out of time

a full team effort. 👏@cryptocom pic.twitter.com/pyJQWUMICW

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) March 10, 2025

What Really Matters: A Win is BAD for the Tank Agenda

The Jazz dropped their 12th straight road game, despite Filipowski and Keyonte George both dropping 25. That’s a shame because the Sixers really needed a loss last night to further push the Tank Agenda but in all honesty, when Paul George, Embiid, and Maxey aren’t playing, this team somehow plays better.

Now, the Sixers are set to give their draft pick to OKC, sitting at No. 7 in the lottery. Unfortunately, the Nets have lost 7 straight and last night’s dub for the Sixers dropped them out of the Top 6 protected.

Up next, the Sixers will hit the road to face the Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors before returning home to host the Pacers. From there, they hit the road for the next several games, where losing should be a lot easier.

Sixers could easily lose the next 7 games:

• Sixers at Hawks (L)
• Sixers at Raptors (L)
• Pacers at Sixers (L)
• Sixers at Mavericks (L)
• Sixers at Rockets (L)
• Sixers at Thunder (L)
• Sixers at Spurs (L)

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