Man we really shoulda beat those Kings

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If there's one team that the Philadelphia 76ers should have particular motivation to beat this year — as in, not get the honorary Good Job Good Effort victory, but actually finish the game with more points than the other team — it's probably the Sacramento Kings, with whom the Sixers hold pick swaps for the next couple years, and whose 2018 first-round pick they own outright. The Sixers should be nearly as invested in the Kings' squandered future as they are in the brightness of their own, and with Vlade Divac and Vivek Ranadive's bunch permanently one loss away from total dissolution, I really hoped last night would be the L that just friggin' sunk 'em.

Not to be. For the second straight contest, the Sixers led for the great majority of the game, but in the final minutes, let their lead slip away to nil and ended the nightpadding their draft odds. At least this time it wasn't literally the final minute, it was about 90 seconds to go when the band lost the rhythm, the Kings' pick-and-roll (and Darren Collison's bizarrely hot shooting) absolutely eviscerating the lackluster Sixers defense, missing Nerlens Noel, out with knee tendinitis. (The Eraser may also miss the Rising Stars game this Friday, which may be a bigger bummer than losing this game 114-110).

It was a game of ups and downs for pretty much everyone. Jahlil Okafor had a baller night offensively, scoring 26 points on 11-18 shooting with ten boards and a career-high five assists. But he also turned the ball over six times, and was typically lackluster with his rim protection and defensive rotations, ending a -10 for the night. Robert Covington had a career-high 29 points (including seven threes!) to go with five boards and six steals. But he turned the ball over seven times, and he missed two huge free throws late in the game that would have given the Sixers much-needed breathing room as the Kings began to deoxygenate the not-WFC. Just about everyone who nearly won this game for the Sixers also killed 'em in the clutch.

Oh well. A nine-day All-Star-adjacent break now for the Sixers to sit down and think about what they did in this one. We'll see Jahlil in the Rising Stars game at least, and maybe if another 12 players get hurt on the East Conference team, we can make a late bid for an Ish Smith All-Star appearance as well. Regardless, enjoy having nine days off from blowing late-game leads, and start to get excited anticipating the upcoming trade deadline. NBA Winter is coming.

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