Sixers player grades: Shorthanded Clippers rally from 24 down to stun Sixers

The Philadelphia 76ers have been playing some good basketball of late as they have been taking advantage of what has been a soft schedule as of late to move up in the standings. They looked to do the same on Friday when the Los Angeles Clippers came to town while missing Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

After a slow start that saw them fall behind the Clippers by 13, the Sixers went on a big run spanning across the end of the first and into the second quarter that saw them build a 24-point lead. However, they could not sustain it as the Clippers put on a huge rally to stun the Sixers 102-101.

Joel Embiid had 40 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists to lead the way for Philadelphia, Tyrese Maxey added 19 points and seven assists, and Tobias Harris added 20, seven rebounds, and four assists. Georges Niang had seven and four boards off the bench while Andre Drummond added five and 11 rebounds.

Here are the player grades following a tough loss to take:

Tyrese Maxey: B+

This was a tough matchup for Maxey. The Clippers are a long and physical team and they can make life miserable for a young point guard. After a slow start, Maxey did not back down from the challenges and he made a big impact on the offensive end. He was aggressive with his open triples, he was getting to the cup, and he ran the offense well. It also might be time to start discussing Maxey’s long-range shooting as a serious factor. On most nights, they’re low volume, but he’s knocking down a good amount of them.

Isaiah Joe: D

Getting the start in place of Seth Curry, Joe once again was able to get some open looks playing next to Embiid, but he wasn’t able to truly take advantage of them. He was solid on the defensive end, however, so there is that. It has been tough sledding for him with his jumper after a scorching hot preseason back in October.

Furkan Korkmaz: C-

The fifth-year guard from Turkey had a tough time on the defensive end, but he was helpful on offense at times. He was aggressive with his shots whether it was on drives or open triples and he also made plays with his passing. When Korkmaz is aggressive, that is a big difference in his game. He has to keep his head on straight and he has to be able to give the team this type of effort consistently. He did struggle with his 3-point shot overall, however.

Tobias Harris: A-

With the Sixers needing some offense in the first quarter with Embiid off to a tough start, Harris came through to jump-start the Sixers a bit. He scored their last six of the quarter to bring them to within single digits and the rest of the team seemed to feed off of that and build off it. He always seemed to be there for a bucket when the team needed one and he was helpful on the glass as well as with his passing. He did have a critical missed free-throw late which proved to be costly in the end.

Joel Embiid: A+

The Clippers sent a ton of aggressive double teams with either Reggie Jackson or Amir Coffey coming from the weakside to give Embiid some trouble. After a bit of an adjustment, the big fella found his rhythm, but it was really ugly to start the game. He got it going in the second quarter as he began making better reads which led to him getting his own offense and the rest of the Sixers getting into a rhythm offensively. Philadelphia will continue to feed off of him—as they should—so they need him to continue making these adjustments in the long term. His defense was also stellar against an aggressive Clippers team that likes to drive into the paint often. He had a huge block late in the game to preserve Philadelphia’s lead. It just wasn’t enough in this one.

Andre Drummond: B

This was an active game from Drummond. He was big on the glass, he was active on defense, and he had some nice passes as well. He had a nice wrap-around pass to Brown Jr. that he was fouled on, and Drummond found a cutting Korkmaz for a layup as well. He did have a lot of wild shot attempts, however, which hurt the offense.

Georges Niang: C-

After a slow start, Niang was knocking down one of the open triples he was able to get, and that helped the Sixers back into the game after an overall slow start as a team. Niang has some infectious energy and he was able to give the team some life. However, going 1-for-7 on the night from deep will not cut it.

Charlie Brown Jr.: C-

Give Brown Jr. credit, he has a nose for the basketball off of misses. He was able to get his hands on some rebounds and give the team a spark on the defensive end when they really needed it. However, he is still just so raw on the offensive end. He needs work there. He had some open looks in this one that he has to be able to convert.

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