At least the Sixers are playing hard

The 76ers have sunk to a 7-15 record, but NBA opponents have noticed that they don't go down without a fight.

The latest compliments came from the Los Angeles Clippers after a 94-83 win over the Sixers on Monday at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Clippers, who led by as many as 21 points in the game, saw the Sixers cut the lead to seven in the fourth quarter.

"We all hear and see articles on how teams are supposed to tank and stuff like that, but that hasn't been their mind-set at all," said Clippers all-star Blake Griffin, who had 26 points and eight rebounds. "You can tell that from the jump, how hard they play."

For a Sixers team that has lost three in a row and seven of the last eight, earning respect around the league is important.

When asked if felt good to hear Griffin's comments, coach Brett Brown replied: "Most definitely."

"I slept OK last night," Brown said Tuesday after practice at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. "I didn't sleep that well after Charlotte."

On Friday, the Sixers lost, 105-88, to the host Bobcats.

"I was ashamed after Charlotte," Brown said. "That is not me or my background and that isn't them and we needed to fix it and the last two games they have."

The Sixers lost, 103-92, to visiting Denver on Saturday before Monday's defeat.

The three straight losses have come without rookie point guard Michael Carter Williams, who has been out with soreness and a skin infection on his right knee.

Carter-Williams did not practice Tuesday. He continues to be listed as day-to-day, but Brown said the rookie would travel to Minnesota, where the Sixers meet the Timberwolves on Wednesday.

The Sixers have a 1-8 road record, having lost eight in a row after a 109-102 win in Washington on Nov. 1.

Carter-Williams has missed seven games this season; he was sidelined earlier with a bruised arch in his left foot.

The Sixers are 1-6 with him out of the lineup. Tony Wroten, who has energized the team with his contributions off the bench, has started in place of Carter-Williams.

"We all have to make adjustments and Tony has to get back to getting acclimated early on," Evan Turner said.

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