The Sixers can’t hold onto their lead versus the Celtics
The Sixers lose another close game as the Celtics front court was too much to handle.
Tonight marked the Sixers final game before the Summer League playoffs . After leading much of the second half, the 76ers let their lead slip away late from a few clutch buckets from Celtics rookie Jayson Tatum.
Fouling and free throws late weren’t enough to pull out the win. Big men, Ante Zizic and Jayson Tatum were the deciding factor in the 88-83 Celtic win as Zizic and Tatum combined for 27 points and 19 rebounds.
Former first round pick Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot led the Sixers in points tonight with 16 on an ugly 4 of 13 from the field. Keeping his strong Summer League going was rookie Jonah Bolden. Tonight, Bolden scored 13 points and 8 rebounds while shooting 50% from the 3 point line.
One of the pleasant surprises for the 76ers has been forward Jonah Bolden. Bolden was drafted this year as the 36th overall pick. Although he has impressed, a rumor from ESPN’s Nick Silva stated, ” he will likely spend the 2017-18 season in Serbia.” Currently Bolden is under contract with KK Crvena zvezda for two more seasons and as it stands right now the Sixers don’t look to be making any immediate roster moves.
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As of today the Sixers have the maximum of 15 players under contract and with all 15 players slated to make the opening-night roster the team will most likely opt to keep Bolden in Serbia for at least one more season so he can continue to develop into an NBA player.
Since the Markelle Fultz injury it is apparent that this summer roster is missing an X-factor. Tonight was another game with an awful shooting percentage as a team. The Sixers shot just 35.2% from the field, as this roster is struggling to create easy shots for themselves.
It seemed as Philadelphia 76ers Summer League coach Lloyd Pierce looked to add a spark on offense tonight by inserting Melo Trimble off the bench. Melo Trimble finally got some run as the undrafted guard had only gotten in one game thus far. Tonight Trimble played in 13 minutes and was able to score 13 points off 3 of 5 from beyond the arc.
Next: Cause for concern for Fultz?
With this loss, the Sixers end the regular season portion of the Summer League with a 2-4 overall record. As every team in the Vegas leg of the Summer League makes the tournament style playoffs, the Sixers will have the opportunity for another game with the hopes of getting hot and winning the Vegas championship.