The Sixers lost a third straight game on Thursday night. They were short-handed again, but even without Joel Embiid, Matisse Thybulle, and hold out Ben Simmons, probably could have/should have won on their home floor against Toronto, before embarking on a brutal six-game road trip.

It was an entertaining fourth quarter, with each team trading runs to keep it close. After a clean Andre Drummond block and ensuing review on a Doc Rivers challenge, the Sixers found themselves down 110-109 with about a minute left on the clock.

This is the possession that took place next:

Watching this back a couple of times, a couple of thoughts:

  1. Furkan Korkmaz was in the wrong spot to begin with. You can see Drummond trying to move him.
  2. There’s a slipped screen from Seth Curry, who doesn’t exactly seem to be looking for the ball (edit – it looks like they were trying to get a Toronto switch there, but Trent Jr. didn’t bite)
  3. Tyrese Maxey has nowhere to go, and eventually gives it to Korkmaz in a DHO.
  4. Seeing that, Curry sets a pin down for Tobias Harris, who is standing in the corner, but barely gets anything on the screen and Harris isn’t open.
  5. Korkmaz gets stuck, gives the ball to Drummond, and he clanks one off the back board.

Maxey had been playing a great game up until that point, so you’re pretty comfortable with him creating something there. It’s the passive nature of the veteran players, Curry and Harris, that’s quizzical. Curry doesn’t exactly demand the ball there. Harris is a total bystander.

So what exactly was the thought there?

I asked Doc Rivers after the home opener what his philosophy on closing was this season, and he kind of blew me off with a bullshit answer:

“We have Joel Embiid. Just like they have Harden and Durant. They’re gonna play through those guys. We’re gonna play through Joel, we’re gonna play through Tobias, and we’re gonna use Seth. It’s not rocket science.” 

Alright, well, they didn’t exactly play through Tobias or Seth on that sequence. If it’s not “rocket science,” then shouldn’t those guys be touching the ball?

That said, I don’t blame Doc entirely for this specific sequence. This wasn’t some sideline or baseline out of bounds play. It wasn’t some ATO play where he had his team looking at the whiteboard before going back onto the floor. This was coming off a made basket that was delayed because of a review, and so there wasn’t technically a stoppage where he was going to dial up some fancy play.

That’s not really the NBA anyway. Closing games is mostly about getting the ball to your best perimeter creator and letting him do his thing. The Sixers closed through Embiid and Harris last year, and then struggled in the postseason. They still don’t have a legit perimeter-based closer on this roster, and the hope was that a Ben Simmons trade would change that.

For what it’s worth, they did get Harris on the ball for their final possession, which took place after Toronto hit a 3 to increase their lead to four. If Tobias hit that shot at the rim, the Sixers would have had to foul to prolong the game. Too little, too late.

It leaves something to be desired. That’s a game the Sixers probably should have won.