PORTLAND, Ore. — The Sixers came into Saturday’s game against the Trail Blazers with 63 losses, a seven-game skid and a shorthanded lineup. They lost three players to injuries during the game, and then proceeded to nearly pull off a 16-point comeback and upset the Trail Blazers on their home court.
“This is very un-NBA to me, that locker room and the way they practice,” Brett Brown said after the Sixers' 108-105 loss (see Instant Replay). “Nobody’s finger-pointing, everybody wishes well upon each other, and the group is able to put out an effort like that because of that.”
The Sixers have had no choice but to rally together. They came into the game without Nerlens Noel (right knee contusion) (see story). Richaun Holmes (right Achilles strain) and Sonny Weems (right strained quad) were both sidelined during the game. T.J. McConnell dislocated a finger on his left hand and was cleared to return but did not.
Still, the Sixers went on a 13-0 run late in the fourth quarter and pushed the Trail Blazers to the final seconds of regulation (see highlights). The Sixers had a chance to tie the game with 7.6 seconds remaining, but failed to connect on a catch-shot three, as Brown explained. Jerami Grant was fouled by C.J. McCollum, and after he missed the first free throw, he tried to throw the second off the rim but missed. Grant was called for a lane violation, which ended the game.
Even though the Sixers were unable to execute what Brown had intended to happen, that didn’t detract from how he viewed their overall effort against a Trail Blazers team that is currently in the playoff picture.
“You walk away feeling like we could have stole a win on the road,” Brown said. “I’m thrilled with their effort. I think they showed a side that they’ve been showing. We got back in the game and had a chance to knock somebody off on their home court with a really unlikely group because of multiple injuries.”
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The Sixers had defeated the Trail Blazers in January in Philadelphia. Damian Lillard wasn’t surprised when they put up a fight once again. He didn’t see nine wins on the court.
“[They have] a lot of fight,” Lillard said. “Teams have to respect them. They’re a lot better than their record says. They’ve been in position to win a lot of games. We’re up 10, they just keep playing. Mistakes, missed shots, they just keep playing. I think that attitude and that type of grit keeps them alive in games.”
The Sixers have lost two straight games in the final seconds. On Wednesday, Emmanuel Mudiay drained a long three at the buzzer to give the Nuggets a dramatic victory. Three days later, the final outcome came down to a few ticks of the clock.
“We’ve been here a bunch of times,” Hollis Thompson said. “So I think we know to just keep pressing.”
The Sixers have less than 24 hours before they take on the Golden State Warriors in Oakland. Brown does not expect Holmes or Weems to play. Noel already has been ruled out. They will head into yet another game shorthanded and try to compete regardless of how many players can take the court.
"I think that throughout the course of the year when you lose at the rate we have lost, teams can do two things," Brown said. "You can disintegrate and go into separate places, a bunch of islands, or you can come together. Our group stays together."