Sixers cut up by Cavs, losing 5th straight at home

Cavaliers 101 - 93 Sixers

Normally the Wachovia center is a sanctuary for the Sixers, whose road woes over the last few seasons have been well documented.

But at the moment the 76ers can't buy a home win, as last night's loss to the Cavs marked the fifth straight they have dropped in Philly.

Granted three of those loses have come against Orlando and the Lakers, both division leaders with a combined record of 35-8, and Cleveland are one of the league's hottest teams, having now won their last 10 games.

However home losses to the Bulls and the Nets are much less forgivable for a team that continues to underachieve.

Last Friday's win in Detroit showed the potential that this Sixers team has, but it has only been seen in very brief glimpses during the opening few months of the season.

Last night Philly became the latest side to be swept away in the wave of Cleveland's winning streak, but at least the Sixers rallied late on to force LeBron James to come back into the game, after he was able to sit out the fourth quarter of the Cavs last seven games.

The Cavs had won their previous nine games by an average of over 20 points, and it looked like they were going to win big again, as they led by 21 late in the third quarter.

However, to the 76ers credit they came back in the final period, cutting the deposit to just six with two minutes left in the game.

Lou Williams was big off the bench down the stretch, scoring 13 points in the fourth to get his team back in contention, but his and the Sixers effort came up short as the Cavs held on to go 18-1 in their last 19 games.

Philly had led the game after the first quarter and were down by just two at the half, before a nightmare third period killed off any serious hopes they had of getting a result.

During that time, the Sixers had a run where they made just 2 of 14 from the floor, the sort of spell that won't win you many ball games!

The hosts just could not cope with LeBron, who notched up a game-high 29 points, and got some help from Maurice Williams (27 points) and Brazilian forward Anderson Varejao (15 points).

Philly changed their starting lineup for this one, with Willie Green replacing Thaddeus Young, who has cooled off in recent weeks.

Green took up the shooting guard position, which meant Andre Iguodala moved over to small forward, and this benefited him.

Iguodala claimed a season-high 27 points and Lou Williams (22 points) supported him with his best stats of the year.

Andre Miller (22 points) made sure the 76ers had three players with over 20 points for only the second time this season, but unlike the win over Chicago it wasn't enough for the Sixers to get it done.

Green (1-6 for 2 points, 0 rebounds, 0 assists) did not vindicate his selection ahead of Young, but the forward (6 points) hardly made a compelling case either.

Once again Philly couldn't hit a barn door from beyond the arc, making just one from 10 attempts, which meant that Cleveland could make the inside congested.

As a result Elton Brand (2 points) struggled on his return from a hamstring strain, as did Samuel Dalembert (2 points), although Brand did lead the team with 10 rebounds.

Three point shooting is really becoming a huge problem for the Sixers, and the fans are starting to show their frustration, as they booed the team off at the end of the third quarter.

Here are the highlights:


Philly's defence is the only positive for the franchise up to this point in the season, with yesterday being just the sixth time that the team have given up 100+ points this year.

However, the Sixers are 0-6 when their opponents have reached triple digits, as their offence is just not producing the goods.

The 76ers have now lost seven of their last nine games in dropping to 9-13 on the season, whilst the Cavs (19-3) are pulling away at the top of the central division.

Philly do get an immediate shot at revenge when they travel to Cleveland on Friday, but the way things are going at the moment, I wouldn't hold your breath!

Kobe comes up big as Lakers drown the Sixers

Lakers 114 - 102 Sixers

Kobe Bryant almost singlehandedly took the Lakers to last year's NBA Finals, so it was little surprise that last night, his performance alone was enough to carry the Lakers past the Sixers.

Bryant, who was born and raised in Philadelphia, always seems to do well on his homecoming trips and last night was no exception, as the star notched up a game high 32 points.

The Lakers came into the game on the back of only their second loss this season: a last second affair in Indiana, so this would have been the proverbial time to "catch them when they're down".

What was actually seen however, was a Lakers team with very short memories, determined to make up for that loss and start a new streak afresh, and the Sixers never really got close to making it back-to-back losses for the 'Best in the West'.

The Sixers came within six in the third and eight late in the fourth, but every time they tried to rally, Bryant came up with a big shot to remove the pressure.

Andre Miller backed up his big game in Chicago with a 26 point haul, whilst Iguodala (19), Thaddeus Young (17), Louis Williams (15) and Samuel Dalembert (11) all made double digits in support, as Philly topped 100 points inside four quarters for the first time in nine games.

Here are the highlights:

However, even shooting 48.8% from the floor (a high percentage by their standards) wasn't enough for the 76ers, as LA shot almost 60% and nearly 50% from beyond the arc.

In contrast, Philly only hit one in every three from downtown, and 3 point shooting is becoming a real issue for Maurice Cheeks' team.

The Sixers rank 25th in the league in 3 point percentage, as no-one seems to be able to knock them down consistently.

Louis Williams came off the bench last night and went 3-5 from distance, but his average is less than 25% on the year.

Since trading Kyle Korver to the Jazz a year ago, Philly have not been the same from the perimeter, and this is affecting their offensive efficiency, which ranks 26th in the NBA.

Failure to knock in 3 pointers means that the Sixers can't spread a team out defensively, and they have to try and get all their points inside - over half of their points against the Lakers were scored in the paint (54).

Bryant on the other hand, gave a masterclass on shooting in general, and his team backed him up from the perimeter.

Here are some extended Lakers highlights which, even as a Philly fan, you can't help but sit back and admire.

Watch out for Paul Gasol's double-double (22 points, 13 rebounds) and center Andrew Bynum (7-11 for 18 points):

The worst news of the night was that Elton Brand had to leave the game late in the third with a hamstring strain.Brand had been poor during his time on the court, going just 1-7 before coming out of the game for good.

This was probably down to the injury as Cheeks claims that Brand only told him about it when he left the game, but he said it had been niggling him for a while.

The forward is listed as day-to-day but he will definitely miss the team's trip to Detroit on Friday night, which is a big blow as Brand leads the Sixers in points and rebounds per game.

The last thing the 76ers need is a long term injury to their new star, who they will need if they are going to get their season back on track.

Philly signed Brand to a massive $80 million contract to try and solve what was widely acknowledged as their biggest weakness: halfcourt offense.

But despite all the good work he has done, Brand's production is still down on his last season with the Clippers, and this is obviously due to the Sixers' lack of a serious outside threat, to open up spaces for him.

Korver would have been ideal for the job, as he is still hitting nearly 50% of his 3 pointers out in Utah, but ironically it was his departure that freed up the cash with which Philly were able to sign Brand.

In signing Brand, the Sixers now have very little money to go out and sign the seemingly missing piece of their offensive jigsaw: a true shooter.

So far no-one within the organisation has stepped up and taken the 'Korver role', raising questions on whether there will be some form of roster move to try and bring in a new threat.

These questions however will have to wait for another day, as the Sixers now look to try and set themselves off in the right direction once more, starting Friday in the Motor City.

Even without Brand Philly have plenty of talent, but that talent has yet to gel offensively this year in the same way as it did at the end of last season, when the team put on a spurt to make the playoffs.

Minus Brand, the lineup heading to Detroit has a very similar backbone to that which made the postseason and in the very same city, won Game One of that series.

Now as it was then, Miller and Iguodala are set to try and lead by example, against a team renouned for playing defense first and offense second.

It is going to be tough, but with the added spice of facing long-time Philly hero Allen Iverson, the Sixers should at least be fired up.

Sixers take Bulls by the horns and end 4 game skid

Sixers 103 - 95 Bulls (OT)

The Sixers got revenge on the Bulls last night as they held on in overtime in the Windy City, winning the second of back-to-back, home-and-away games against Chicago.

The win ended Philly's four game losing streak, the last of which was the double-digit loss to the Bulls on Sunday night.

Andre Miller put his bad game at the weekend behind him, scoring a season high 28 points, nine of which came in overtime as he helped his team pull away from Chicago for good.

Bulls rookie Derrick Rose, who had been all over Miller at the Wachovia Centre two days before, received a personal backlash from the point guard, with Miller getting the youngster into foul trouble.

Elton Brand was big again for the Sixers, collecting 22 points and 14 rebounds - his 9th double-double of the season (including 21 points and 12 rebounds on Sunday).
Andre Iguodala also rebounded from a sub-par game at the Wachovia Centre to put up 25 points, whilst there was support off the bench from rookie forward Marreese Speights (11).

The worrying thing for Philly is that for the second game in a row, the team let a big lead slip.

It cost them the first of the two games against the Bulls, where they had led by as many as 15 in the first half, and they held a slender lead going into the interval before the Bulls ran all over them in the second half.

Last night the 76ers again found themselves with an early double-digit lead (16 points), and they even had a nine point advantage in the fourth quarter, before the Bulls rallied and tied the score with 17 seconds left - Tyrus Thomas slamming home after Rose drove and missed.

Philly did have one last chance to win the game in regulation, with Iguodala drawing defenders and setting up Miller in the corner, but his shot was short.

Miller made up for this miss in the extra period, making sure Chicago never got close by taking the Sixers past 100 for the first time in eight games, a worrying statistic with the free-scoring Lakers coming to town tonight.

Here's the highlights:


On the whole Philly shot quite well, going almost 40% from the floor, with 44 points in the paint.

However, the perimeter shooting was woeful, with the Sixers just 2-11 from 3 point range - another thing they will have to put right if they are going to even get close to the Lakers.

The win is only the 76ers (8-10) third on the road this season, with the other two also coming against Eastern Conference opposition (Toronto and Indiana).

The Bulls also fall to 8-10, despite big performances from their two guards, Rose (24 pts) and Ben Gordon (18 pts).

However, it will still be the plays Rose made in Philly three nights ago that will continue to make the highlight reels. Here are the highlights from that game. You won't have to look hard to see Rose's stunning defensive and offensive plays:


The Sixers have a relatively good 4-2 record against Western conference opposition, but with the best of the West coming to the Wachovia Centre tonight, the 76ers will have to be perfect if that record is going to improve.

Sixers struggle in Florida, coming up short at the Magic

Sixers 88 - 98 Magic

Another bad shooting game saw the Sixers slump to their second defeat in two nights in Florida, as they lost by double digits to the Magic.

Despite Orlando star Dwight Howard spending most of the first half on the bench thanks to some early foul trouble, the 76ers failed to capitalise on controlling the boards, shooting just 35% as they went into the break behind 54-43.

Howard (14pts) managed to stay on the court in the second half and he, Rashard Lewis (2opts) and Hedo Turkoglu (20pts) combined to give the Magic a 23 point lead in the third.

For the second night in succession, the 76ers mounted a fourth quarter fightback, getting back to within six thanks to some poor free-throw shooting by Howard, who went 2-8 down the stretch.

But once again it was not enough for Philly, who couldn't draw any closer as Orlando stayed strong to win their third game on the bounce (their 6th victory in their last seven games vs Philly.)

Four sixers starters made it into double figures, with Thaddeus Young compiling back-to-back 19 point games, whilst Samuel Dalembert had a double-double with 10 points, 14 rebounds and three blocked shots.

The two Andres, Iguodala (16points, 11 rebounds, eight assists) and Miller (15pts) also reached double digits but both shot poorly (4-12 and 7-24 respectively), as the team went under 40% from the floor for the second straight night.

The Magic (3-2) also became only the second team this season to prevent Elton Brand completing a double-double, using an effective double-team strategy to hold the forward to just six points and 12 boards.

At least the Sixers (2-4) managed to hold onto the ball better, committing nearly half as many turnovers as they did in Miami.

However this will be of little comfort to coach Maurice Cheeks, who will have to wait until Tuesday to see if his team can turn things around at home against the undefeated Utah Jazz.

Travelling Sixers get burned by the Heat

Sixers 83 - 106 Heat

Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers...that about summed up Philadelphia's night, as the 76ers (2-3)committed a league-high 26 of them en route to a 23 point pounding in Miami.

Dwayne Wade took advantage for the Heat (2-2), collecting nine steals to go with his seven rebounds, six assists and let's not forget his game-high 29 points!

The Sixers showed some fight, battling back from 23 points down to come within nine late in the third quarter.

But it was all Miami from there on in as the Heat netted 12 straight points to come away with a comfortable win.

Two bright spots for Philly, who have continuously shone in these first few games, are Thaddeus Young and Elton Brand.

Young followed up his good performance against the Kings with a solid 19 point return, whilst Brand picked up a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Louis Williams (16) and Andre Miller (11) also made double figures.

However no-one could make up for some terrible shooting by the team as a whole, Philly shooting 37.5% from the floor during the evening.

The usually reliable Andre Iguodala was particularly disappointing, going just 1-7 with only two points.

At least the 76ers will immediately have the chance to redeem themselves, albeit in a very difficult environment, as they stay in Florida tonight to take on the Magic.

Sixers return to .500 as they dethrone the Kings

Kings 91 - 125 Sixers

Unlike Saturday when the 76ers blew a big lead in Atlanta, Philly returned home and got the job done, blowing away the Sacramento Kings.

The Sixers may have allowed the Hawks to come back from 23 points down at the weekend, but last night they jumped in front early and stayed there, expanding their lead as the game went on.

40 points in the paint in the first half, saw the Sixers build a 68-48 lead at the break.

Thereafter it was downtown shooting that developed the Philly advantage, with the Sixers going 7-9 from 3 point range in the second half to dominate the Kings and ensure there was no rally.

The 76ers shot 76.9% from beyond the arc and 59.2% overall throughout the game, led by 18 points from forward Thaddeus Young.

Guard Louis Williams racked up 17 points but the Sixers got production from all areas.

Starters Elton Brand (15), Andre Iguodala (10), Andre Miller (12) all reached double figures, whilst Willie Green (16), Kareem Rush (10) and Donyell Marshall (12) did the same off the bench.

Former Sixer John Salmons got 11 points for the Kings on his return to the Wachovia Centre, but the Kings looked tired and rarely threatened to change the tone of the game.

For them the loss marked the end of a demoralising 0-4 road-trip to start the season.

The win takes Philly back to .500 at 2-2 on the year and should give the team some added confidence, as they roll into Florida to face the Heat and the Magic on Wednesday and Thursday.