The Philadelphia 76ers continued the road trip on Friday as they took on the Memphis Grizzlies looking to bounce back from a very tough night to begin the trip against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Still short-handed as they work their way through the injuries, the Grizzlies offered a challenge.
Led by Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis blitzed the Sixers in the first half and they held off a late Philadelphia rally on their way to a 117-109 win over Philadelphia. The Grizzlies were constantly getting into the paint on their offensive end and they were getting in transition as well as Philadelphia couldn’t find a way to get into a groove.
Joel Embiid led the Sixers with 35 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists, Tobias Harris added 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Shake Milton added 17 points and six assists. De’Anthony Melton added 13 points and six rebounds in his return to Memphis.
Here are the player grades after a loss in Memphis:
After Harris opened up with a flurry of points, it was then Milton’s turn to get back on track on the offensive end. He was another one who had a tough night in Cleveland and he was terrific on the offensive end in the first quarter. However, it was tough for him after that and he also wasn’t great defensively and it was a tough night on that end for him throughout the contest. The Grizzlies were getting into the paint easily.
The former Grizzlies guard made his return to Memphis and he received a good cheer from the crowd. He then knocked down a triple in the first quarter. After that, he struggled a bit on the offensive end and he had a tough time defending star guard Morant who was a big factor in this one. To his credit, he was much better with his shot to help the Sixers put on a bit of a rally.
After an absolutely miserable night in Cleveland to start the trip, Harris scored Philadelphia’s first eight points in this one. If it wasn’t for Harris’ offense in the first half, the Sixers might’ve been blown out in the first half alone. He was terrific to start the third quarter when he threw down a vicious slam on Jackson Jr. and his shooting kept the Sixers in it. This was a very good night for the veteran who entered the night questionable with a non-COVID illness.
Tucker air-ball the first triple he took from the corner. He then missed a floater in the paint, but he had a positive impact in this one. He was…
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