Jan 1, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) reacts after a play during the second quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
The Sixers snatched defeat from the jaws of victory against the Sacramento Kings, imploding down the stretch to fall from ahead without Joel Embiid.
Here's what I saw.
- Surprise, surprise - the reports of Paul George being cooked were greatly exaggerated. But, that doesn't mean there isn't a bit of a conundrum to figure out. George has said a couple times recently that he's finally feeling healthy. If only he could just catch a rhythm. Whad ya know, with Joel Embiid unavailable and his role thus elevated, George got some early touches in this game moving south to north across the floor. He took advantage of the Kings going with a smaller lineup, finding the desired matchup in the midrange and going to work.
The early touches got him going, and George was hitting from all over the floor. He laced a pair of wing threes in the first half, set Sacramento ablaze on the block and at the elbow and got to the rim for a couple of scores. 20 points in the first half for George. No foul trouble. He was the stabilizer when the Kings jumped out to an early eight-point lead.
It is important to realize that George being billed as a great fit because of his catch-and-shoot prowess does not mean the game flows for him the way it did for, say, JJ Redick. The difference between Redick and stars like George is that Redick could thrive in a low-usage role. He could barely touch the ball and still snipe away without a moment's notice. Stars are usually rhythm players who need to feel themselves heating up to get going. It's on Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Nick Nurse to overlay those opportunities into the offense when all three stars are available. If you treat him like he's Redick, you're misunderstanding how to use the stove.
- In solidarity with Eric Gordon the Sixers will start to offer wisdom teeth extractions at all home games, free of charge. That joke didn't even sound funny in my head, and that's why I'm not a comedian. Anyway, heck of a return for him. Same goes for Andre Drummond.
Gordon checked in and promptly buried three triples in 10 minutes of action in the first half. It never felt like the Kings were out of it, but you do feel the stress added by an opposing role player randomly breaking your back with threes. The Kings thought they had decent matchups and were prepared for passable defensive possessions, only for Gordon to rip their hearts out and extend the Sixers' lead in the second quarter.
As for Drummond, that man was cooking. While Dontas Sabonis was a huge storyline on the glass early in the game, Drummond controlled the boards in his minutes in the first half. What you don't expect is his post-ups to be a tentpole of the offense. Yet, there he was, attacking his counterpart in space around the rim and finishing softly at the hoop.
- Maxey evened things out with George in the second half. Sacramento appeared poised to go on a run to take the lead back, but Maxey stabilized the boat for Philadelphia. His floater has been something of a prized possession lately, and he used it to silence the Kings a couple of times after halftime. That he saw a few of them go down seemed to open up the whole game for Maxey, who was suddenly finding his burst to the rim and landing knockout punches from well beyond the arc.
- Before Maxey got going, the one constant that kept the Sixers' offense going was the ease with which he and George blew up the Kings' first line of defense. Those guys carved Sacramento up at the point of attack, collapsing an already poor defense on itself and creating shots all over the floor.
- You won't find me arguing with a decision to go zone often, but the Kings have enough shooting depth to cause problems if you go that route. The Sixers were up 14 in the second quarter, and the Kings fought back to tie the game by halftime with shooting and dribble penetration. Of particular issue was Malik Monk, who got whatever he wanted on the first pass out of attacking off the dribble.
- Caleb Martin threw an inbound pass to Maxey in the backcourt. The problem was that Martin was in the frontcourt. Every game, the Sixers make a pass that forces you to question your sanity.
- Everything was going smoothly until the final three minutes of regulation. That implies the Sixers hit a snag on their way to winning the game, and did they ever. They slowed the game down and essentially played prevent offense. That's the cowardly way out, and it bit them in the ass. Everything on the Sixers' end of the floor flowed through George and Maxey, and they had absolutely no answer for the ball pressure that Sacramento applied. When the Kings trapped, it was death. The Sixers barely got a shot off over those final three minutes, their possessions almost exclusively ending in turnovers. Bozo basketball.
- You are almost guaranteed to hear a grunt from an offensive player every time they go up through traffic at the rim. I wonder if referees are ever just like, "What are you grunting about, bro? No one touched you."
- If you're ever thinking about the jump between college and the NBA, remember Doug McDermott. Dude was absolute nails at Creighton, like a cross between Cleveland Cavaliers Kevin Love and championship run Dirk. He's never been an impactful offensive player in the NBA. The Kings had him guarding Gordon, if that tells you anything about his defensive stature at age 33.
The Sixers (13-18) will visit the Golden State Warriors (16-16) on Thursday. Tip-off is scheduled for 10 p.m., Eastern time. You can catch the action on TNT.
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