Philly has been stuck between a rock and a hard place during March. Maxey will miss at least three weeks due to a finger tendon injury. Embiid has statistically missed more games than he has played. Paul George was suspended for 25 games after violating the league’s anti-drug policy — I don’t know how he didn’t see that coming. Perhaps a voodoo curse after the disgraceful victory they took against the Jazz from five seasons ago, where Embiid told the refs to eject Donovan Mitchell, and then they actually
did it. No, I don’t need to let things go. What are you talking about?
Things did go in the Sixers’ favor, perhaps in the hand of fate, as they were swift to hand Utah their 50th loss of the season in a 126-116 finish in the Delta Center. The Jazz battled, but it was obvious what was really happening, considering Ace Bailey was pulled from the floor in the final quarter despite it still being a close game.
But despite it all, they’ve still won three of their last four games. And tonight was an opportunity for them to inch closer to the 5th-seeded Raptors. Utah would have paid them to take this game from themselves.
The Jazz, on the other hand, had all the regulars on their side of the injury report with the addition of Isaiah Collier. That’s probably why the Jazz inked a deal with G League assist leader Kennedy Chandler this morning after the end of Andersson Garcia’s deal.
Utah threw the first punch with a 10-2 run in just 90 seconds, turning a three-point early hole into a five-point lead. It wasn’t too long for Philly to exploit the holes in the Jazz defense; their 15-3 run left the Jazz down by 4 in the opening quarter. Cam Payne knocked down back-to-back triples in under a minute. The Sixers held a 10-2 point lead in fastbreak points. Utah missed eight consecutive shots. There wasn’t a lick of hustle to be desired. Except for the awesome Ace Bailey buzzer beater and the awesome crowd celly to go with it:
Kennedy Chandler, meet your basketball savior Will Hardy. No exaggeration. The 2022 second-rounder led the Jazz in scoring in the first half despite the ink not even dried on his new contract. He finished the first half with 13 points, 3 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal on 3-7 shooting. It’s his first NBA game since April 8th, 2023. Two days ago, he was on the Delaware Blue Coats roster; now, he’s torching the Sixers in his brand-spankin’ new purple uniform. Ace Bailey wasn’t too far behind 13 points, 3 assists on 3-11 shooting, which included a career-high 3 blocks in the first half. Jazz shot 42% from the field and only committed 2 turnovers, which pales in comparison to Philly’s 10.
Sixers kept the intensity in the second half, opening the third quarter on an 11-2 run to erase Utah’s 8-point lead to jump ahead 75-74. Quentin Grimes, or how I’d like to call him “Destined Jazzman”, scored or assisted on 7 of those points. Then that period turned into the Ace Bailey show. Bailey poured in 12 points, 5 boards to total 25 on the night. He set a new career-high of 4 blocks.
His rookie marquee matchup, VJ Edgecombe, kept things up on his end as well, recording a double-double through three quarters, and finished with 13 points and 11 boards. It’s a neat little stat line and all, but I know who I’m going to choose.
No matter the opponent, the Jazz will ensure their opponent is fighting tooth and nail to scrape out a win against the 14th-seeded Utah Jazz. Equally as hilarious, the closing Jazz lineup included a mix of Kennedy Chandler, Elijah Harkless, Bez Mbeng, John Konchar and Cody Williams. Just your average 6’8” 190 lbs big man, nothing to see here.
Now we should keep it a buck, the Jazz had no intentions of walking out this building with a two-game winning streak, reflected by a late 20-8 surge by the Sixers in the last 5:05 minutes. Philly finished with 64 rebounds, including 16 offensive that led to 26 second-chance points. Utah had 7 blocks and just 8 turnovers in this one. Both teams sealed the deal with a firm handshake and a nod of approval.
Your Honor, I would like to introduce Ace Bailey to the courtroom for your consideration for the All-Rookie team. Never mind all the nonsense you saw at the beginning of the year, half of it being sabotaged by the Will Hardy Rookie Training Course™. He’s made a rebirth as a reliable shot-maker and elite shotblocker. After seven rotational injuries, Ace is paving his way as a primary scorer late in the season. We can jump straight into the “turning into a star” thing if you want, or whatever. No biggie.
I feel I am the only person to notice Bez Mbeng’s existence on the basketball court tonight, despite a solid career-high 13-6-7 outing on an efficient 5-7 shooting whilst committing zero turnovers. He had his first ever NBA-start in just his fifth NBA game, and in Will Hardy fashion he was tasked with a 45-minute shift in the junkyard.
Up Next
The games roll on; The Jazz welcome the 39-30 Toronto Raptors at the Delta Center, March 23rd, at 5:00 PM MST.
