LOS ANGELES – Coach Tyronn Lue gave a wry smile when asked about Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey’s success in transition. He knew the Clippers were in for a long afternoon against the Sixers and their quick guards.
And that meant taking care of the basketball and not allowing their opponent to get many fast break points. “Defense is going to be a long afternoon for us,” Lue said.
Lue wasn’t wrong. The Sixers made short work of the Clippers on Sunday and came away with a 121-107 matinee victory at Crypto.com Arena, a loss that left the home team wondering what happened.
After battling back from a 17-point first half deficit to tie the game in the third quarter, the Clippers reverted to their earlier selves and were outscored in the final minutes to erase any confidence gained by their two victories against the Portland Trailblazers this past week.
The Clippers (44-25) started off the game in a daze and fell behind quickly as the Sixers jumped out to a double-digit lead seven minutes in and had 50 points two minutes into the second quarter.
The Sixers were playing without two of their starters – Joel Embiid and Kyle Lowry – but possess a deep bench that outscored the Clippers throughout the game.
Tobias Harris and Maxey picked up the slack, each scoring game-high 24 points and Cameron Payne added 23 points.
For weeks, Lue has preached the importance of taking care of the basketball and keeping teams out of transition. The Clippers missed the mark in both areas in the first half, allowing the Sixers to run out to a 41-29 first quarter lead on the strength of 13 fast-break points.
By halftime, the Sixers led, 63-56, after a brief run by the Clippers who seemed to have shaken themselves out of their malaise.
The Clippers opened the second half with a 9-2 run, capped by Paul George’s game-tying 3-pointer (65-65) at the 7:17 mark. His 2,222nd career 3-pointer pushed him past former Clippers point guard Jamal Crawford for 11th place on the NBA’s all-time list.
They also shored up their transition defense, allowing the Sixers just two fast-break points in the third and none in the final quarter.
But the Sixers found other ways to spoil the Clippers’ afternoon, outscoring them in the paint, 52-48, and on second chance points, 16-11.
Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 20 points, six rebounds and three assists after a slow start and George finished with 18 points. Ivica Zubac added 13 points and had 10 rebounds, while Norman Powell came off the bench to score 20 points in his first game since March 15. He was out because of a lower leg contusion.
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The game, the first meeting between the teams since the James Harden trade, was devoid of any emotional residue. Both coaches said too many games and months had elapsed since the Oct. 31 trade that sent Nicolas Batum, K.J Martin and Robert Covington to Philadelphia and brought Harden and P.J. Tucker to Los Angeles.
Harden finished with 12 points and 14 assists.
Also missing was Sixers’ seven-time All Star center Embiid, who has missed the past 23 games because of a meniscus tear in his left knee. He is expected to return in two to three weeks.
In his absence, the slumping Sixers had gone 12-23, losing four of their past six games, including a seven-point loss to the Lakers on Friday.