The 76ers have a ball-distribution problem.
With Joel Embiid and Paul George back in the lineup, the Sixers have a semblance of continuity. But Embiid and Tyrese Maxey have been taking the bulk of the shots and accounting for most of the scoring. Meanwhile, George, a nine-time All-Star and 20.6-point career scorer, has been put on the back burner.
“I think it’s at this stage, it’s something we would like to see some improvement in for sure,” coach Nick Nurse said before Tuesday’s game against the Toronto Raptors. “I think that Tyrese and Joel played a lot of games together and obviously a lot of reps together, too. … We’re trying to get some more reps with Paul and Joel, right?”
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While George’s involvement improved against the Raptors, the Sixers now have another growing problem. Tuesday’s 106-103 loss to the tanking Raptors extended their losing streak to four games. It’s also their sixth loss in the last seven games.
This one dropped the Sixers to 20-33, while the Raptors (17-37) snapped a four-game skid. And the Big Three came up small in the final 1 minute, 17 seconds.
Trailing 105-103, Embiid, Maxey and George each missed a shot before Embiid turned the ball over with 8.7 seconds remaining. On that play, he passed up a wide-open three-pointer and drove toward the basket.
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“Tough one, wide-open, I got to shoot,” Embiid said. “How the game was going … and down two [points], I thought I could step in and shoot the mid-range. Looking back at it, I probably should have [shot] the wide-open three-pointer.”
Gradey Dick, who picked up the loose ball, raced down the court and was fouled by Maxey with 5.1 seconds left. Dick split a pair of foul shots to put the Raptors up three. Maxey missed the potential game-tying three-pointer at the buzzer.
“We missed shots,” George said. “I think we brought it back. Gave ourselves a chance to win it. We just couldn’t finish it with scoring.”
The trio combined to shoot 33.3% in the fourth quarter. Maxey made 1 of 4 shots. George shot 2-for-5, while Embiid went 2-for-6.
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Embiid finished with 27 points on 8-for-19 shooting while making 10 of 13 foul shots. The seven-time All-Star center also had 12 rebounds, four assists, and four turnovers. He remained in the game in the second quarter after he appeared to injure his left elbow while battling for the ball.
George had 14 points on 5-for-12 shooting to go with two steals and two turnovers. And Maxey had one of his least productive offensive performances of the season. He had five points on 1-for-9 shooting to go with four turnovers.
“I just wasn’t aggressive,” Maxey said. “I got kind of started late and slow. I got something like maybe [two shots] in the first half. … But that’s on me, I’ll be more aggressive tomorrow.”
Newcomers Jared Butler and Quentin Grimes picked up some of the slack. Butler, a two-way reserve point guard, scored 15 points in his second game since being acquired in a trade from the Washington Wizards on Thursday. Grimes, a reserve small forward, added 13 points in his third game after coming to the Sixers in a trade from the Dallas Mavericks.
Scottie Barnes led the Raptors with 33 points and 10 rebounds.
The Sixers made a conscious effort to get George involved early, running the first play for him. That play ended with Embiid being called for a three-second violation. George later drove into the lane and dished a pass to Justin Edwards for an easy layup. Then on the next possession, George missed an 11-foot jumper. The 6-foot-8 forward scored his first basket on a layup with 7:58 left in the first quarter.
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George shot 2-for-5 while scoring four points in the quarter. Embiid added eight points, while Maxey was held scoreless on 0-for-1 shooting.
George didn’t take another shot until the 7:18 mark of the third quarter. Meanwhile, Maxey never seemed to find a rhythm. The point guard scored his first two points of the game on a pair of foul shots with 2:27 left in the third quarter.
So the Sixers relied heavily on Embiid until midway through the final quarter.
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Dick buried a three-pointer to put the Raptors ahead 99-96 with 3:32 remaining. Embiid split a pair of foul shots on the ensuing possession to pull the Sixers within two points. He then missed a reverse layup on the Sixers’ next possession.
George pulled them within one point (101-100) with a corner three-pointer moments later. After the Raptors made a foul shot, Maxey made his first shot from the field on a three-pointer to tie the score at 103 with 1:49 to play.
Up next
The Sixers will travel to New York to face the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday at the Barclays Center (7:30 p.m., NBCSP). The Nets (19-34) have won two straight and five of their last six. The Sixers have a 2-0 series advantage over their Atlantic Division foe.
Source: www.inquirer.com…