Philly wins the big game! 76ers beat the Rockets 123-104

I was hoping for a closer game, but I can’t say I’m surprised by the results of the Houston Rockets 123-104 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. The Rockets showed life and managed to stay within range during the first half, but the decision was essentially in hand after halftime.

How about that three-point marksmanship?

It was abysmal. Houston had only connected on a single three up until the 3:43 mark in the third quarter until Jalen Green hit his second one of the night. As a whole, the team went 6-for-24 from deep while giving up a 15-for-34 night to their counterparts.

Even a 14 shot free throw advantage couldn’t keep the Rockets above water as the Sixers just simply executed more efficiently. The better team won tonight. It is what it is.

Speaking of Green, he had a rough night (29 on 6-for-20), but I’ll take some comfort in his Hardenesque performance that saw him equal the Sixers’ 17 free throw attempts. In a game where Joel Embiid and the aforementioned James Harden were present, that’s remarkable.

No one else stepped up as Green remained the focus of the Sixers’ defense, unless you want to count Kenyon Martin Jr. and his 15 points. A majority of his points were a product of rim-rattling dunks, which are always appreciated. If I were running the show, I’d call the transition KJ dunk on every play, but that’s just me.

It looked like Jabari Smith Jr. felt the effects of the raucous Philadelphia streets from the night before as he struggled to find his rhythm as well (10 points on 3-for-14). I also would have liked for Alperen Sengun (12 points and 8 rebounds) to assert himself more in this game, but I’d also like a million bucks every now and then too. I guess having to deal with Embiid can prove to be a tall task.

It’s not like the Rockets were some supernova at shotmaking before, but the lack of players who can generate their own shot showed tonight. In a post-Eric Gordon world, and with Kevin Porter Jr. still sidelined, it only figures to get tougher. Now correct me if I’m wrong, but I swear there there were stretches in this game where it looked like they were just throwing the ball at the hoop and praying for the best.

I’d go into more detail about the second half, however, it was largely uneventful as the lead ballooned to as much as 26. Of note, Frank Kaminsky made his debut with the team. What’s with the tall white guys who shoot from deep wearing #33 on this team? I almost thought that was Ryan Anderson out there, but I digress.

This game felt like many of the other nights from this season, so I’ll leave it to y'all. Is there any constructive feedback you took from this game?