The Sixers are looking to Shake their losing streak | Off the Dribble
The Sixers have lost three straight with Shake Milton out, and he will miss Wednesday's game against Houston because of a sprained left ankle.
Good morning, Sixers fans. After a rough, 1-3 road trip, the Sixers are looking to snap their second three-game losing streak of the season.
After Monday’s 134-123 loss at Utah, the Sixers were off Tuesday. Now they prepare to face a Houston Rockets team whose losing streak is twice as long as theirs. The Sixers will go from playing the team with the NBA’s best record to facing the Rockets (11-16).
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— Marc Narducci (offthedribble@inquirer.com)
No substitute for Shake
The Sixers are 1-5 without Joel Embiid, and it is obvious how much he is missed. Even with Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris combining for 76 points in Monday’s loss at Utah, the absence of Embiid, who missed the game because of back tightness, was immense. (He is listed as probable for Wednesday’s game against Houston.)
The Sixers are also 1-5 this year without reserve combo guard Shake Milton.
On a team with a shaky bench, losing Milton and his 14-point average has been huge, especially when playing quality teams on this road trip.
Milton suffered a sprained left ankle in last week’s 119-111 loss at Sacramento. He had scored 11 points in the game before leaving with 2 minutes and 12 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Without Milton, here are the bench scoring totals in the three straight losses:
Feb. 11: 118-114 loss at Portland — Sixers 19, Trail Blazers 45
Feb. 13: 120-111 loss at Phoenix — Sixers 20, Suns 49
Feb. 15: 134-123 loss at Utah — Sixers 25, Jazz 57
Total bench scoring: Sixers 64, opponents 151
The Sixers will again be without Milton on Wednesday.
Milton is able to provide instant offense. At the beginning of the season, coach Doc Rivers suggested he had the ability to be Sixth Man of the Year. (That award looks to be leaning toward Utah’s Jordan Clarkson, who torched the Sixers for 40 points and is averaging 18.2.)
Milton hasn’t shot the ball the way he did last season. He is scoring more, averaging 27.3 points per 100 possessions compared to 22.7 last year, according to basketball-reference.com. The big difference has been from beyond the arc. Milton was a 43% three-point shooter last season and is shooting just 30.6% this year.
Still, he is the Sixers’ fourth-leading scorer and provides consistent scoring that nobody else on the Sixers bench has been able to duplicate.
That is why it wouldn’t be surprising if president of basketball operations Daryl Morey acquires a bench reinforcement or two before the March 25 trade deadline.
Starting five
Embiid for MVP? Marcus Hayes says he has to play in more games to earn consideration.
David Murphy writes that Ben Simmons was exactly the type of player he has to be Monday when he scored a career-high 42 points against Utah: decisive, aggressive and undeterred.
Sixers center Dwight Howard excelled against Utah despite playing with a heavy heart.
Even with a 1-3 week, the Sixers remained in the Top 10 of The Inquirer’s NBA power rankings. No surprise who repeated as the No. 1 team.
Keith Pompey writes about the challenges he has faced while covering the Sixers during a pandemic.
Rocket history
The Rockets, Wednesday’s opponent, are struggling this year, but this is a franchise with a rich history. They won NBA titles in 1994 and 1995. They have qualified for the NBA playoffs the last eight years.
The list of stars who have played for the franchise is impressive. Here are the top career scorers by average in team history, courtesy of the organization:
1. James Harden, 621 G, 29.6 ppg., 18,365 pts.
2. Moses Malone, 464 G, 24.0 ppg. 11,119 pts.
3. Tracy McGrady, 303 G, 22.7 ppg., 6,888 pts.
4. Hakeem Olajuwon, 1,177 G, 22.5 ppg., 26,511 pts.
5. Kevin Martin, 144 G, 21.3 ppg., 3,068 pts.
6. Elvin Hayes, 572 G, 20.6 ppg., 11,762 pts.
7. Ralph Sampson, 305 G, 19.7 ppg., 5,995 pts.
8. Don Kojis, 206 G, 19.6 ppg., 4,037 pts.
9. Clyde Drexler, 219 G, 19.0 ppg., 4,155 pts.
9. Steve Francis, 384 G, 19.0 ppg., 7,281 pts.
9. Yao Ming, 486 G, 19.0 ppg., 9,247 pts.
This list doesn’t even include Calvin Murphy, who averaged 17.9 points as a Rocket, and Rudy Tomjanovich, who averaged 17.4.
Important dates
Wednesday: Houston Rockets at Sixers, 7:30 p.m., Wells Fargo Center, ESPN/NBC Sports Philadelphia
Friday: Chicago Bulls at Sixers, 7:30 p.m., Wells Fargo Center, ESPN/NBC Sports Philadelphia
Sunday: Sixers vs. Toronto Raptors, 7 p.m. Amalie Arena, Tampa, Fla., NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Tuesday: Sixers vs. Toronto Raptors, 7:30 p.m., Amalie Arena, Tampa, Fla., NBC Sports Philadelphia
Feb. 25: Dallas Mavericks at Sixers, 7 p.m. Wells Fargo Center, TNT.
Passing the rock
Question: Why does [Furkan] Korkmaz even see the court? The 3-6 pts he might score don’t compare to the 15-20 he gives up on defense. — John Ciletti from Facebook.
Answer: Thanks for the question, John. There is no doubt that Korkmaz has been inconsistent this season. He is averaging 7.7 points but shooting just 32.4% from three-point range, and his effective field-goal percentage is 47.2%. Last season, he shot 40.2% from three-point range and his effective field-goal percentage was 55.7%.
If Korkmaz is not shooting well, he offers very little value, although he has driven to the basket better this season. Right now, he is in a rough stretch, having shot 0-for-9 from three-point range the past three games. Monday vs. Utah, he shot 0-for-5 from the field and had a minus-15 rating. If he doesn’t pick it up, you might get your wish: His playing time could dramatically decrease.