Sixers finish a perfectly brutal road trip with a 112-99 loss to Pelicans, keep pace in the Tank Wars

Nine players. One more loss. And a whole lot of lottery clarity. The Sixers wrapped up their six-game road trip from hell with a 112-99 loss to the equally injury-riddled New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night.

It was a matchup between two of the league’s most depleted rosters — and with the goal to keep pace in the 2025 Tank Wars, let’s just say “mission accomplished.”

The Sixers ended their road strip with a beautiful 1-5 record and didn’t look particularly interested in winning any more than that. That’s not a knock — it’s the situation.

With every true rotation player on the shelf and the organization walking a tightrope with its top-six protected first-round pick, there’s no such thing as a meaningless loss.

This one could actually matter.

Pelicans 112, Sixers 99: A Battle of Backups (and Backups to Backups)

Let’s be clear: this wasn’t a basketball game so much as it was an open tryout. The only players on the floor with real NBA mileage were New Orleans vets Kelly Olynyk and Jose Alvarado.

The Sixers didn’t have a single guy available who’s been a multi-year rotation regular. No Maxey, no Embiid, no Oubre, no Grimes, no problem — if you’re a fan of watching fringe NBA guys grind out reps.

That said, Justin Edwards continues to show flashes. He had another solid scoring night, including a career-high in threes made, and while he still forces some shots, he’s finding his rhythm a bit as a self-creator.

.@Jedwards3_ hits his third triple of the quarter! pic.twitter.com/KiYbOvIFqv

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) March 25, 2025

On a team that desperately needs young talent to pop, Justin Edwards yet again, was at least something worth circling.

Justin Edwards is the only reason to keep watching the Sixers right now

Elsewhere, Guerschon Yabusele continues to prove he belongs in the league. He’s strong, smart, and a capable two-way player. He’s not solving any big-picture issues, but he’s played winning basketball in the minutes he’s gotten.

Resting Grimes: Smart or Shameless? Yes.

The only remotely surprising absence Monday night was Quentin Grimes, who was given the night off after carrying a heavy load during the road trip.

It makes sense. Not just to protect him physically, but to protect the tank.

With Grimes on the floor, the Sixers have at least one player who can swing a game. That’s a risk this front office doesn’t want to take right now — not with Toronto looming on Sunday in what might be the single most important tank matchup of the year.

Call it cynical. Call it strategic. Either way, every win from here out has potential lottery ramifications, and the Sixers are playing the long game with ruthless clarity.

Game Notes:

• Marcus Bagley made his NBA debut a few hours after signing a 10-day contract and scored his first NBA bucket on a floater. Good moment for a guy trying to carve out a foothold in the league.
• Adem Bona returned from an ankle sprain after missing the first five games of the trip. He’s raw, but with 10 games left, expect him to get every minute possible. Philly needs to know what they have.
• Jeff Dowtin Jr. and Jalen Hood-Schifino were active, while Alex Reese was inactive — part of the ongoing two-way roster shuffle to conserve active NBA days. It’s a chess match of contracts and development windows.
• Oshae Brissett’s 10-day expired earlier in the day. His spot was effectively taken by Bagley. Don’t be shocked if more names cycle through before season’s end.

Next Up: Wizards, Then Raptors (The Big One)

The Sixers head home for the first time in weeks to take on the Washington Wizards on Wednesday — another team deep in the lottery weeds. But the real eye-catcher is Sunday’s showdown with the Raptors, a true tank battle with both teams hovering dangerously close to the dreaded sixth-overall cutoff line.

Win that one, and the Sixers could regret it in May.

The Sixers know what they’re doing. Every loss like this one to the Pelicans keeps the 2025 first-round pick alive. It’s not pretty, and it’s not fun. But it might be necessary. Welcome to the Tank Wars.

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