Sacramento skies were a little darker Saturday night than they were recently Philadelphia 76ers handed over kings One of the most surprising defeats of the season. Philadelphia played without James Harden and Joel Embiid on the final night of a long trip, and he trailed by 21 points in the second quarter of the game. Instead, his 76ers, who were battling for an undefeated road trip, were back in the game.
Tyrese Maxey’s 15th third quarter point sparked a comeback, but the game itself was won through the glass. His 76ers team, playing without Embiid, was able to grab 16 of his offensive rebounds, compared to just his four for the Kings.
Sacramento finished the game with just 25 defensive rebounds, and the second chance points they gave to a Sixers team that wasn’t ready to score proved to be the difference. Ironically, the Kings had the biggest rebounding chance of the night, but simply couldn’t convert.
Philadelphia’s 129-126 lead looked safe after a few seconds, but a Mattis Thybulle foul on Harrison Barnes’ 3-pointer gave the Kings hope. The foul was somewhat controversial, as Thybulle tried to commit it immediately, and in a natural example of the “ball doesn’t lie” phenomenon, Barnes missed the first shot. He hit his second but had to miss the third and hope for a comeback as he was two down on his one attempt remaining. He did his part and Domantas Sabonis had a chance to tie the game but couldn’t quite pull it off.
For the first time since Jan. 7, the Kings won’t be beaming after a game. The loss was his first in two weeks, ending a six-game winning streak and moving him to third place in the Western Conference. Their streak may be over, but Philadelphia’s streak continues. The 76ers are now on a five-game winning streak, all of which came on road trips to the West Coast, but things aren’t going to be easy when they return home.After facing a bang Netthey will face off against Embiid’s MVP rival Nikola Jokic. Denver Nuggets One of the most anticipated games of the regular season. But if the Sixers can handle the Kings without his two best players in the West, he should be ready to go all-out against the conference’s best team.
