Three reasons the Sixers lost to Portland

The Sixers had one of their worst performances of the season during Thursday night’s 121-105 loss to the visiting Portland Trail Blazers.

Yes, the Sixers were without Ben Simmons (left calf tightness) and were playing the second game of a back-to-back. Still, Portland was without six injured players, including one of the NBA’s top backcourts of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.

The score was tied at 57 at halftime, and then Portland went into overdrive in the second half.

Here are three reasons the Sixers lost.

This doesn’t come down to X’s and O’s, but to a lack of consistent energy. Doc Rivers and Joel Embiid said it afterward, but they didn’t need to.

Portland was the hungrier team. It was most evident on the boards. The Trail Blazers outrebounded the Sixers, 53-37. Enes Kanter, especially, was a beast on the boards. This video is one example of how Kanter outworked the Sixers.

Kanter had 18 rebounds, including seven on the offensive glass. The Sixers had only eight offensive rebounds. Portland also earned a 22-8 edge in second-chance points. The Trail Blazers worked all game, and it paid off.

At one point in the game, the Sixers were 0-for-12 from three-point range and Portland was 10-for-20. The Sixers ended 7-for-27 (25.9%) from beyond the arc, but even that is misleading. They were 5-for-11 in the fourth quarter, when the game for all intents and purposes was over.

Portland cooled off a little but still ended 13-for-31 (41.9%).

Gary Trent Jr. led Portland with four three-pointers (in nine attempts). On two of the four, he had wide-open looks. On another, he created his own room by making a long step-back three. And the other one came when the Sixers were too late in closing on him.

This three-pointer by Carmelo Anthony says it all. He missed the first three. Portland outhustled the Sixers to hit the ball back out to Anthony, who drilled it on an open look.

Anthony connected on 3 of 4 threes and ended with 22 points, almost 10 above his season average (12.6).

Portland owned a 20-14 edge in fast-break points. Many of the baskets were like the one below, in which former Sixer Robert Covington just blew by Tobias Harris for a score.

As Covington was ready to go coast-to-coast, Danny Green made a swipe at the ball and then didn’t hustle down the court. He took his time and occupied a space where nobody else was standing. It was this type of half-hearted effort that the Sixers displayed throughout the game.