3 observations after Sixers fall to Grizzlies, stay winless at home with West Coast trip on deck

3 observations after Sixers fall to Grizzlies, stay winless at home with West Coast trip on deck originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers didn’t discover any magic over the last couple days to make up for the absences of two All-Stars.

They dipped to 1-4 on the season and 0-3 at home Saturday night with a 124-107 loss to the Grizzlies.

Tyrese Maxey posted 23 points on 8-for-19 shooting and six assists.

Star Grizzlies guard Ja Morant had 18 points, 12 assists and six rebounds. Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 27 points and Jay Huff added 20 for the Grizzlies, who improved to 4-3.

The Sixers were still without Joel Embiid (left knee injury management) and Paul George (left knee bone bruise).

Both players were full participants in the Sixers’ practice Friday. George ran sprints and went through an individual workout Saturday morning following shootaround.

Memphis had several key players out with injuries, including Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart.

The Sixers will start a three-game West Coast road trip Monday night against the Suns. Here are observations on their loss to Memphis:

Warming up behind the arc  

The Sixers entered the night shooting 27.7 percent from three-point range and did not begin the game auspiciously on that front.

Andre Drummond missed a corner three on the team’s first possession as the shot clock expired. The Sixers started 0 for 6 from the floor and fell behind 5-0 on rookie forward Jaylen Wells’ three.

A trio of Kelly Oubre Jr. jumpers in the first quarter got the Sixers on track. Maxey also knocked down a couple of early threes and the Sixers ultimately scored 18 of their 28 first-quarter points from long distance.

Eric Gordon came out hot in the second quarter, swishing consecutive long threes from the right wing. He posted 10 points in the first half on 4-for-5 shooting.

For the night, the Sixers easily exceeded their prior season high of 11 made threes in a game, shooting 19 for 46 (41.3 percent) from deep. They clearly need to keep trending up from long range when shorthanded.

Grizzlies’ size wears on Sixers 

The Sixers’ early defensive work on Morant was encouraging.

Caleb Martin played solid individual defense and the Sixers were a bit better in transition than during their loss Wednesday to the Pistons. They limited live-ball turnovers and sprinted back well as a unit, giving Memphis few fast-break opportunities.

Outside of the 6-foot-2 Morant, the Grizzlies had height advantages at just about every position. The Sixers tried to compensate with defensive variety, including some zone early in the second quarter. KJ Martin helped the cause by blocking three shots in the second, including a seriously explosive rejection on the 7-foot-1 Huff.

Morant provided tough shotmaking during a second-quarter Sixers cold patch, hitting a mid-range baseline jumper and lofting an and-one layup over 7-foot-4 rookie Zach Edey.

However, Memphis eventually surged ahead. Morant began knifing into the paint with greater regularity and the Grizzlies grabbed control of the game with a 12-0 run. They took a 59-52 lead on Edey’s tip-in with 0.2 seconds left in the second period.

McCain a bright spot in blowout

Memphis was the sharper team out of the second-half gates.

The Sixers’ half-court offense was both labored and sloppy. They committed a few costly giveaways and failed to generate much drive-and-kick success. Across the board, the Sixers were understandably reluctant to test players like Jackson and Edey inside. Through three quarters, the team had just 18 points in the paint.

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse inserted Reggie Jackson in the third quarter as the fifth man off his team’s bench. Seconds after Jackson drained a top-of-the-key three, Jake LaRavia replied with a jumper from a nearly identical spot on the other end. Huff continued making comfortable threes and the Sixers’ deficit grew to over 20 points.

Jared McCain’s relentless approach was a bright spot for the Sixers. He attacked constantly in the fourth quarter and scored impressively, converting two three-pointers, a floater and a driving layup. The Sixers cut Memphis’ lead down to 14 points in the middle of the fourth, though the Grizzlies never appeared in any real trouble.

McCain racked up 19 points on 8-for-16 shooting in his 17 minutes.

“I think McCain’s shown nothing but confidence,” Nurse said Friday. “Not always the greatest play in the world, but he makes something happen, right? He makes something happen … not always good, sometimes it’s bad, but he plays with an air of confidence and an air of getting it to the rim some. I think he’s still in our plans (when at full strength).”