Sixers Continue to Lose, With Just 11 Games Remaining on the Season

Corey Chmara

This past week was a rough one for the Sixers—at least if you're still hoping for them to win meaningless games. For the tanking crowd, it was a success. The Sixers went winless (0-4) last week, with all games played on the road.

The week began in Houston, where the Sixers faced off against the Rockets, currently the second seed in the West. Philly led by as many as 25 points, even into the second half. However, Jabari Smith and Jalen Green each dropped 30 points and were instrumental in the Rockets' second-half comeback. Quentin Grimes had his best game as a Sixer, posting a career-high 46 points along with 13 rebounds. Unfortunately, the Sixers were outscored 45-24 in the third quarter alone and ultimately fell 144-137 in overtime. Tough to see a performance like that from Grimes go to waste, but it’s another loss that helps in the quest to keep their top-six protected pick.

Tim Warner/Getty Images

On Wednesday, the Sixers followed up in the way you'd expect from a team that just blew a 25-point lead and has no shot at the playoffs. They were blown out 133-100 by the Oklahoma City Thunder—despite the Thunder being without probable MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Quentin Grimes still managed to put up 28 points in just 32 minutes, while Justin Edwards added a solid 19 points.

After another rough showing, the Sixers traveled to San Antonio on Friday to face the Spurs, who were without Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox for the season. This game was competitive until late in the fourth quarter, when the Spurs held the Sixers to just 3 points in the final 5:30. Despite the loss, there were some promising performances: Grimes and Edwards each scored 25 points, Yabusele chipped in 23, and Ricky Council IV added 20 points in 24 minutes off the bench. While the games have been tough to watch, it’s valuable to see these young players get real minutes and show what they can do. The Sixers lost this one 128-120.

To close out the week, the Sixers played the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena on Sunday night. The game went as expected—the Sixers trailed by 11 after the first quarter, hovered for a bit, then eventually fell behind by 20+ and lost by double digits. The final score was 132-119, with Grimes scoring 26 and Edwards adding 22. Edwards has really stepped up lately, averaging 21.0 points per game over the past week.

Adam Hagy/Getty Images

Looking ahead, the Sixers have four more games this week. They face the Pelicans in New Orleans tonight—both teams will be without most of their rosters. Quentin Grimes has already been ruled out for rest, so we’ll get a look at Justin Edwards in a lead role. On Wednesday, the Sixers return home to face the Washington Wizards, the first of three straight home games. They’ll host the Miami Heat on Saturday and wrap up the week on Sunday against the Toronto Raptors.

My only real concern right now is Quentin Grimes possibly playing himself out of what the Sixers can afford to offer in free agency. He's averaged 22.2 points per game since joining the team and could command north of $20 million annually this summer.

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