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Game 2 Loss Featured the Second-Worst Fourth Quarter Shooting Percentage During a Sixers Playoff Game in the Post-Process Era
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The Sixers lost Game 2 after going ice cold in the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night. They went colder than a polar bear opening a container of liquid nitrogen in Svalbard.
According to our Sportradar data, the 21.1 field goal percentage was the second-worst in a fourth quarter since the Sixers started this run of playoff appearances coming out of the Process era:
Worst 4Q Shooting Games
| Game Date/Opponent | Series | Gm | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04/27/2019 at Raptors | Eastern Conference – Semifinals | 1 | 4 | 21 | 19.0 | 1 | 8 | 14 |
| 05/06/2026 at Knicks | Eastern Conference – Semifinals | 2 | 4 | 19 | 21.1 | 1 | 10 | 12 |
| 06/18/2021 at Hawks | Eastern Conference – Semifinals | 6 | 4 | 18 | 22.2 | 1 | 3 | 24 |
| 05/05/2019 vs Raptors | Eastern Conference – Semifinals | 4 | 5 | 21 | 23.8 | 3 | 14 | 21 |
| 05/02/2026 at Celtics | Eastern Conference – First Round | 7 | 4 | 16 | 25.0 | 1 | 5 | 21 |
| 04/28/2024 vs Knicks | Eastern Conference – First Round | 4 | 6 | 24 | 25.0 | 1 | 9 | 16 |
| 06/14/2021 at Hawks | Eastern Conference – Semifinals | 4 | 4 | 16 | 25.0 | 2 | 6 | 18 |
| 05/11/2023 vs Celtics | Eastern Conference – Semifinals | 6 | 5 | 20 | 25.0 | 0 | 8 | 13 |
| 08/17/2020 at Celtics | Eastern Conference – First Round | 1 | 6 | 23 | 26.1 | 1 | 5 | 22 |
| 06/16/2021 vs Hawks | Eastern Conference – Semifinals | 5 | 5 | 17 | 29.4 | 0 | 4 | 19 |
The Sixers have played 76 playoff games, coincidentally, since coming out of the dark ages, so this was the 75th-worst shooting percentage they’ve posted in the fourth quarter of a playoff game since that point. That’s another way to look at it.
There are some other miserable clunkers on that list as well. Game 4, 2019 vs. the Raptors. They were up 2-1 in the series and playing at home and put up a nice defensive effort but couldn’t get enough shots to fall. That was the Joel Embiid 2-7 game, and Tobias Harris went 7-23.
Game 4 against the Hawks in 2021 was also particularly excruciating. They were up 2-1 with a chance to really put that series to bed and Embiid had another clunker, shooting 4-20 on the evening. They were outscored 23-18 in the fourth.
Anyway, they really battled last night and even took leads into the 3rd and 4th. They just ran out of steam and couldn’t hit anything. They weren’t bad looks either, outside of the rushed Paul George heave with time running out. Maybe they settled for too many threes towards the end but the shots were there and they just didn’t go in.
Game 3 Friday night in Philly.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com