Sixers vs. Rockets takeaways: Grimes' big mistake and another rough finish

HOUSTON — Quentin Grimes knows his fourth-quarter turnover was costly. The makeshift 76ers refuse to back down, yet they ran out of gas with the game on the line. Those three things stood out in the Sixers’ 144-137 overtime loss to the Houston Rockets Monday night at the Toyota Center.

Grimes’ miscue

Grimes finished with career highs of 46 points, eight three-pointers and 13 rebounds. However, the Sixers combo guard also had a game-high six turnovers. And his turnover with 9.5 seconds was critical.

The Sixers were clinging to a 131-128 lead before his bad pass was stolen by Jalen Green. Grimes could have chosen to take his time and run time out the clock or get fouled. A pair of free throws would have put the Sixers up five points. Instead, his mistake led to the Rockets forcing the extra session.

Rough squad

The Rockets got physical in the second quarter. Give the Sixers credit for holding their own. In fact, Houston’ appeared more frustrated. Green and Tari Eason received technical fouls, while Fred VanVleet was called for a flagrant foul 2.

Running out of gas

The Sixers ran out of gas. The makeshift squad shot 61.7% — including 15 of 26 three-pointers — and led by as many as 22 points in the first half. Shots were hard to come by in the fourth when they shot 38.1%. They were worse in overtime.