By: Kylan Watson

After losing to the Brooklyn Nets last night, the Philadelphia 76ers got a chance to redeem themselves as they faced the Memphis Grizzlies. Both teams traded blows throughout the game, but the Sixers blew a 12 point lead thanks to a Jaren Jackson Jr. scoring explosion. That propelled Memphis to a 115-109 victory and further extending the misery of the Sixers.

Once again the Sixers did not start the game off well the shots were not falling and the defense was not there. Memphis took full advantage of the early power outage and before Philly could even settle into the game they were down by double-digits. Their offense improved once they started attacking the basket that open up more high percentage shot opportunities for the Sixers that they cashed in on. Additionally, they finally got a balanced scoring night from just about everybody who was available for the game. Kelly Oubre Jr. (25 points), Paul Reid (17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds), Cam Payne(16 points), and Buddy Hield (15 points) combined for  73 of Philly’s 109 points, when the Sixers get a scoring output like that they should win a game like this. However, it just was not meant to be in this game they could not keep up with the Grizzlies when it mattered the most despite outplaying them throughout this contest. When the Sixers needed it most no one could make a big bucket, games like this are where Tobias Harris should have put his stamp on this one but he did not make enough shots tonight and he cannot afford to have games where he only accounts for eight points during the contest. He has to find the Tobias Harris of last year that saved the season for the Sixers when everyone else went down. An aggressive Harris is a great thing for Philly and adds another dynamic to an explosive offense.

Despite the offensive explosion from Philly, Memphis weathered the storm and made their move in the fourth quarter. Their shots started falling and Jaren Jackson Jr. fully imposed his will throughout the second half. He scored 30 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and had six blocks. Jackson Jr.  saved plenty of Memphis’ offensive possessions that were not going anywhere and he found a way to get to the free throw line or make a pivotal basket to keep them in the game. There was nothing the Sixers could do to stop him. It did not matter if he had one defender on him or  multiple defenders, he found a way to grab the ball and keep his team’s hopes alive. That was the difference in this game the Grizzlies got the 50/50 balls and the Sixers did not. Memphis played some aggressive defense on the Sixers late in the game and it forced Philly into bad shots and turnovers and that wrapped this game up for the Grizzlies.

Philly will now prepare to face the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night and they will need to play better defense and limit New Orleans to one possession. If they want to keep Zion Williamson and the Pelicans offensive unit in check in this game. Additionally, the Sixers will need to cash in on the high percentage opportunities created by their ball movement. They cannot afford to play stagnant offense like they did late in this game rely on the ball movement to find good shots and they have a chance to beat New Orleans on Friday.