At the Buzzer:
The 76ers (38-22) once again faced tough competition from the Portland Trail Blazers (36-23), falling 130-115 Saturday at The Center.
Despite Ben Simmons’ 29 points (tying a season-high), seven rebounds, and 11 assists, the Sixers struggled to overcome the Blazers’ prowess on the boards.
Portland outrebounded the Sixers 53-33 overall, and 19-7 on the offensive glass.
“Therein lies the game - the offensive rebound disparity,” Brett Brown said.
Jusuf Nurkic led the Blazers with 24 points, along with 10 rebounds and four assists. Point guard Damian Lillard added 17 points, six rebounds, and eight assists.
After a close first half, a 41-26 third quarter in the Blazers’ favor stretched their lead to 100-82. The Sixers would outscore the Blazers, 33-30, in the fourth, but never quite closed the gap.
Tobias Harris delivered another solid performance, scoring 20 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Jimmy Butler scored 15 points from the field, shooting a perfect 5-5 from the foul line.
Mike Scott scored 15 points off the bench, his highest total as a Sixer.
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Up Next:
The Sixers will embark on a two-game road trip facing the New Orleans Pelicans (26-34) on Monday and Oklahoma City Thunder (38-20) on Thursday. The Sixers came out on top in their last meeting with the Pelicans, winning 121-120 on Nov. 21. Anthony Davis leads the Pelicans with 27.8 points and 12.8 rebounds per game.