Philly’s Road Trip Ends with a Flat Note

The Philadelphia 76ers (39-33) wrapped up their last West Coast trip of the season by taking on the Sacramento Kings (42-29). The Sixers played like a team that was ready to get back home and lost 108-96.

Let’s break down the 76ers’ road trip finale.

76ers player notes:

Tyrese Maxey: 29 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 10-16 FG shooting

A 21-point first quarter made for an outstanding start for Maxey. He was on fire from behind the arc, felt when the times were right to shoot from the midrange and attacked the rim very well. After his unreal heater in the first, he came a bit back down to Earth but remained effective and picked his spots well to go full throttle after the Kings started sending a lot more attention his way. Unfortunately for Philly, no one else around him stepped up.

Kings player notes:

Domantas Sabonis: 11 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists, 3-5 FG shooting

The NBA’s leading rebounder was unsurprisingly able to corral plenty of boards against the Sixers, securing his 54th straight double-double and 25th triple-double of the season. His playmaking proved to be critical, too, especially to Sacramento’s hot hand, Keegan Murray. Sabonis’ physicality defined the game and, despite taking just five shots, his performance powered the Beam Team to victory.

Game recap:

Emboldened by a wire-to-wire win over the Los Angeles Clippers, the 76ers headed north to take on the Kings. The Sixers have started showing more competence without Joel Embiid, especially on the defensive end. At least they wouldn’t go home from this trip winless after winning in LA but they still have to keep it up in order to escape the play-in. The Kings, however, presented a challenge, especially on the second night of a back-to-back (even if the Sixers had more than 24 hours to rest).

Kelly Oubre Jr. missed the game with shoulder soreness from the tough fall he took last game. Kyle Lowry and Nico Batm started. The Kings were without Kevin Huerter, Trey Lyles and Sasha Vezenkov.

1st half

Batum matched up with Fox, Mo Bamba guarded Sabonis and the Kings played defensive menace Keon Ellis on Maxey. The star showed the newcomer what he was in for by driving by him for an and-one layup. Paul Reed subbed in for Bamba after a pair of fouls as Murray scored seven early points. The Sixers came out shooting poorly, with a Maxey middie being the only other made shot in their first eight attempts.

Maxey scored the first 16 points for the 76ers, getting his team ahead after draining a deep triple. Sacramento does not have the makings of a strong defensive unit and the All-Star guard took full advantage. Former King Buddy Hield assisted Paul Reed for the first non-Maxey-points for Philly. But Maxey kept the buckets coming, hitting a catch-and-shoot three that Reed assisted after falling on the floor and some free throws. He set a new career-high for points in a quarter with 21 in the opening frame.

After KJ Martin picked up three fouls in six minutes, Ricky Council IV got some early minutes and Harris slid down to center. Bamba was subbed back in at the start of the second quarter. The Kings managed to build a lead but the Sixers held them in check to start the quarter, impressively winning the Maxey-less minutes through defense. Philly forced turnovers, drew shooting fouls and managed to tie it up.

Maxey came back in and scored on a layup on one of his first possessions. The Kings started applying more pressure on offense with Fox pushing the pace, showing no fear as he rushed to the hoop but also set up his teammates well. No other Sixer besides Maxey had yet to find a good rhythm on offense, leaving him out to dry as Sacramento started rebuilding its lead. Harris shot 2-9 to start off, getting chances to initiate offense but often coming up empty. Meanwhile, Martin picked up his fourth foul for excessive contact with his knee on a shot attempt for some reason.

A 16-6 run for the Kings brought their lead to double figures before Hield scored on a broken play. Maxey was hit with a technical foul after getting whistled for a shooting foul on Fox. Philly’s defense wasn’t able to contain any penetration and the Kings drove-and-kick’d them into a deep hole by the end of the first two quarters. Being better on offense would help the Sixers contain the Kings more but they looked like they were traversing the creek with no paddles.

At halftime, the 76ers trailed 60-48.

2nd half

The 76ers created some open three-pointers, one of which was for Bamba that resulted in a foul from Sabonis, though it was rescinded. Their offense still wasn’t able to find much of a groove as Sacramento started pressing Maxey a little bit more. Bamba was hit with a tech after getting whistled for a foul on Sabonis, whose physicality was making for a testy game. Philly’s starting big man was up to four fouls as the Kings maintained a sizable lead.

Oubre has been a great pressure valve for the Sixers for a while, making stuff happen just by trying to get to the hoop. Without that, and with Philly missing a lot of easy looks — none easier than Harris on a wide-open layup off of a lob pass — comeback efforts were going to be hard to come by. “Anyone but Maxey, beat us,” the Kings said. And the Sixers fell silent, falling into an 18-point hole.

D.J. Wilson checked in for his first non-garbage-time minutes as a Sixer, hitting two open triples. It wasn’t Nick Nurse waiving the white flag but rather a last-ditch effort to try to make this a game. His size and ability to shoot made him an intriguing option, though he obviously couldn’t shift the tides alone. Philly trailed by 15 heading into the final quarter.

The Kings scored the first six points of the fourth quarter before Cam Payne set up Wilson for an alley-oop. Some buckets from Harris and Maxey kept the deficit tasteful but it didn’t change the trajectory of the game. Council also helped out, doing what Oubre usually does by making every attempt possible to get into the paint.

The 76ers deployed a full-court press but the Kings found it easy to break. Sacramento cruised to victory with a few minutes of garbage time to warm up the beam. Hield limped off to the locker room before the game ended, giving Philly another injury to monitor. Philly managed to make it a 10-point game before the final buzzer, so that’s something.

Assorted observations:

The 76ers are back in Philadelphia on Wednesday to face…James Harden and the Clippers again.