A very tough loss on Friday night in Denver in a game the Sixers seemed to have under control in the third quarter. But blowing a 17 point lead in the NBA, particularly on the road, with more than a quarter to go is not much more unusual than dog biting man. Some comments:
For a change, the Sixers shot respectably from the three-point line, 5-12. Unfortunately, the Nuggets went lights out, 15-31, a club record. That kind of shooting is tough to defend but Philly should have made some defensive adjustments to counter Denver's long-range barrage, particularly at crunch time. The home team scored 37 points in the fourth quarter.
Sam Dalembert played 27 minutes and totaled 13 rebounds and 2 blocks, respectable numbers. Less respectable was his offensive "output", 2 points on 1-5 shooting. He also made a huge mental error in failing to contest a dunk by Kenyon Martin late in the game. Marreese Speights scored 12 points in 18 minutes and continues to show real offensive flair.
The Sixers had another poor foul shooting night, 18-30. One assumes that the squad spends adequate practice time at the foul line. Beyond that, foul shooting is what it is. To say they would have won if they made more from the charity stripe, as some do, is like saying that if they played better they would have won.
Tony DiLeo says it doesn't matter if the team wins right now as long as they continue to improve. The emphasis on patience by the Sixer management is admirable. It was not as evident a few weeks back when they expressed a need for "new direction" and showed Mo Cheeks the door 23 games into the season.
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