For Sixers, same old story: A fourth-quarter collapse
NEW YORK - It's always something, especially when you are the 2-20 Sixers. They finally appeared to fix their three-point offense and foul shooting, but something else popped up - an inability to defend the post.
NEW YORK - It's always something, especially when you are the 76ers.
They finally appeared to fix their three-point offense and foul shooting, but something else popped up - an inability to defend the post.
Sound familiar? It's when the Sixers defenders stand around, seemingly unaware of what's going on.
And their three-point shooting? On occasion, they are red-hot from long-range in the first half only to go ice cold after intermission.
All those things happened Friday night in the Brooklyn Nets' 88-70 victory at Barclays Center.
But perhaps worst of all, was the Sixers making just 11 two-point shots, the fewest in the NBA's shot-clock era.
The Sixers shot 75 percent (15 of 20) from the foul line for the game, which is pretty good for them. They made 8 of 14 three-pointers in the first half. However, they were only able to shoot 3 for 14 after intermission.
They were outscored, 42-18, in the paint by the struggling Nets (9-12).
Not only were the Sixers unable to stop Brooklyn from going to the basket, they shot 9 for 33 in the paint. They also committed 24 turnovers.
In other words, if it's not one thing, it's another, especially for the 2-20 Sixers, prone to fourth-quarter collapses.
"We couldn't score," Sixers coach Brett Brown said. "And some of that, I give Brooklyn credit. They intimidated us at the rim. Going 9 for 33 in the paint is hard to do."
Center Mason Plumlee killed the Sixers, posting a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Swingman Joe Johnson and reserve forward Alan Anderson added 12 points apiece. Johnson had missed the previous two games with the flu.
Robert Covington, making his first career start, led the Sixers with 20 points. The swingman hit his first four three-point attempts and finished 6 for 10 from long range.
The Sixers shuffled the starting lineup due to having just two legitimate big men - Nerlens Noel and Henry Sims - after trading Brandon Davies to the Nets on Thursday.
Luc Mbah a Moute got the start at power forward after starting most of the season at small forward. Noel, who normally starts at power forward, moved to center. Meanwhile, Sims, who had been starting, was the eighth man off the bench.
The Sixers had hoped to get some sort of lift, at least emotionally, from the return of Tony Wroten.
Wroten came off the bench in his first game back after spraining his right knee on Nov. 26 against the Nets at the Wells Fargo Center. The guard had 12 points on 2-for-10 shooting to go with three rebounds, three assists, and four turnovers.
Michael Carter-Williams nearly posted a double-double with 14 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds, and 4 turnovers. Noel was hampered by a left foot callous in what was arguably his worst game of the season.
He was scoreless after missing all eight of his shot attempts. The rookie also had five turnovers before exiting the game with 6 minutes, 55 seconds left.
The Nets took the momentum late in the third quarter. Then they put the game away by opening the fourth quarter with a 10-0 run to take a 73-60 lead with 7:26 left. After back-to-back Sixers baskets, the Nets went on a 7-0 run to build an 80-65 lead.
"It was close the first half," Carter-Williams said. "I think we played well the first half. The second half we just had a couple of relapses."
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