Getty Images Joel Embiid
The Philadelphia 76ers suffered a hard-fought loss at the hands of the reigning NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night 118-116. Giannis Antetokounmpo blocked a Joel Embiid putback attempt with 1.6 seconds left to win the game for the Bucks.
For the Sixers, the loss drops them to 46-29 and put them in fourth place in the Eastern Conference. The team is currently a half-game behind the Celtics for third place, a game behind the Bucks for second place, and a game and a half behind the Heat for first place.
Sixers Big Problem
When the Sixers traded for superstar James Harden, the hope besides pairing him with Embiid, was that he could help carry the team when the big man is on the bench. Unfortunately for the Sixers that hasn’t been the case so far.
In Tuesday night’s loss, the Sixers had built a 13 point lead late in the third quarter then the team subbed Embiid out to give him some rest. With Embiid out of the game, Giannis would score 15 straight points and the Bucks would outscore the Sixers 19-8 over that span to make it a two-point game.
Those struggles highlight what has been a major issue for the Sixers this season. The Sixers just can’t seem to survive when Embiid goes to the bench.
“The game really changed when I went on the bench,” said Embiid. “At the end of that third quarter, beginning of the fourth, their best player scored, I don’t know, 17 in a row or whatever that was. We didn’t do what we had to do and they made their run and they cut the lead and they gained some momentum and it carried over.”
“The whole time when I was on the floor, I made sure that I was there to help, I thought we didn’t follow that strategy. We didn’t build a wall. And he(Giannis) had a lot of free rein to just attack and get whatever he wanted. And that changed the game. Maybe next time, just match up the minutes.”
Embiid was clearly frustrated after the loss, but it isn’t all bad news for the Sixers. The team went toe-to-toe with a championship contender with the playoffs not far off.
Looking Ahead
The Sixers have seven games left in the regular season and have a great chance to pile up some wins. According to tankathon.com, the team has the easiest remaining schedule in the league as their opponents have an average win percentage of 40.4%.
Only three of the Sixers’ last seven games will come against playoff teams in the Hornets, Cavaliers, and Raptors. Philly should be favored in their last seven games unless they choose to give Harden and Embiid a night off.
The other good news for the Sixers is that the Heat, Bucks, and Celtics all have much tougher remaining schedules. The Celtics have the fourth toughest, the Bucks have the ninth toughest, and the Heat have the 13th toughest.
With the way, the schedules lineup the Sixers will have a great opportunity to secure one of the top seeds in the conference. The team still needs to figure out how to survive when Embiid goes to the bench if they want to make a deep playoff run.