There’s always something to ruin things for the 2013-14 76ers.
One night it can be turnovers, another it’s rebounds and yet another it can be matador-style defense that leads to a loss for the Sixers.
But more often than not, shooting has doomed the Sixers. Putting the ball in the basket has been the their biggest weakness this season and that was very much the case in the 102-94 loss to the Chicago Bulls at the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday night (see Instant Replay).
This time it wasn’t the three-point shot that gave the Sixers the most trouble. Ranked last in the NBA, the Sixers are shooting just 30.7 percent from beyond the arc. In the loss to the Bulls the Sixers were only slightly better at the foul line (9 for 19) than they were from three-point land (11 for 24).
The three-pointer kept the Sixers in it, but the free throws took them out.
“The free throws … we go 9 for 19 from the free throw line,” head coach Brett Brown said with exasperation. “This is where we end up. There is no inch for error. There is no wiggle room at all.”
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Yes, it is always something with these Sixers. With the 22nd straight defeat and 17th in a row at home on Wednesday night, it’s been something for quite some time. The Sixers are four more losses in a row away from tying the NBA record for consecutive defeats and the schedule isn’t getting any easier.
Friday night the Sixers host the Knicks before hitting the road for three games in Chicago, San Antonio and Houston. If the Sixers don’t beat the Knicks -- the worst team of the bunch -- they ought to get a Powerball ticket.
They might have a better chance winning that.
Regardless, the Sixers aren’t deterred by the losing streak or the latest loss -- one that slipped away late in the fourth quarter. Even after dropping 22 in a row, the players feel certain that a win is lurking just beyond their grasp.
“The way it seems, we’re going to get one soon,” said Tony Wroten, who started for the 15th time this season and scored 17 points with seven assists and six rebounds.
Maybe Wroten is on to something? Though the Bulls are 38-30 and holding down the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Sixers gave them fits. In fact, Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau views the Sixers’ losing streak as a freak occurrence, something that has to do more with luck -- or lack thereof -- than skill.
“I knew we weren’t going to knock them out,” Thibodeau said. “You better be able to play a whole game.
Thibodeau had lots of praise for Brown’s job coaching the Sixers despite the losses.
“When Brett took the job, he understood the direction they were going. I think he's done a remarkable job with the team,” Thibodeau said. “In the games I'm watching, they're right there to the end. They're playing hard. They're playing together. They've had some tough breaks go against them.”
The Sixers’ losing streak and 15-53 record was confounding to the Bulls’ D.J. Augustin, too. Coming off the bench to score a team-high 20 points, Augustin was impressed with the Sixers’ energy.
“They’re a good team. Just because they’re on a losing streak, they’re still a good team,” Augustin said. “They came out firing up shots and we knew it was going to be that type of game. We tried to fight them until the end and it was a real fight.”
Wednesday was nearly the night for the Sixers, who hung around despite shooting 47.4 percent from the free throw line and getting out-rebounded, 60-46. The Sixers never trailed by more than 11 points against the Bulls and given the way they were shooting three-pointers and the ability to get out and run, there was a chance.
With 7:43 left in the game, Young buried a fallaway three-pointer for his game-high 24 points from the corner to tie the game at 85. A missed layup by Joakim Noah and a turnover by Taj Gibson gave the Sixers two cracks at the lead nearing the midway point of the fourth quarter.
Nevertheless, the Sixers couldn’t get over the hump.
After Young’s shot tied the game, the Sixers shot 5 for 14 the rest of the way with one costly turnover. Meanwhile, the Bulls got every defensive rebound during that stretch and gave the Sixers no puncher’s chance to pull it out.
Instead, the Sixers’ chances were wasted at the free throw line.
“The ball is on the rim and it doesn’t go in,” Brown said. “It was a winnable game. I’ll say this -- a group that has been losing still stays together. They still compete and I’m proud of them.”
Next, the Sixers host the Knicks on Friday night before heading to Chicago for the return match against the Bulls on Saturday. After that comes a game in San Antonio on Monday night in Brown’s first trip back to his old stomping grounds since leaving the Spurs for the Sixers.