Instant Observations: 76ers Fall to Kings After Disastrous Fourth-Quarter Collapse

The Philadelphia 76ers lost to the Sacramento Kings in disastrous fashion, falling 113-107 on Wednesday night.

Paul George finished with 30 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Tyrese Maxey totaled 27 points, two rebounds, six assists and four steals. The Sixers were without the services of Joel Embiid (left foot sprain), Jared McCain (left knee meniscus surgery), Kelly Oubre Jr. (left hand sprain) and KJ Martin (left foot stress reaction) against the Kings.

De’Aaron Fox led the Kings with 35 points, three rebounds and four assists. Domantas Sabonis added 17 points, 21 rebounds and seven assists. Sacramento played without Keegan Murray (left ankle soreness) and Devin Carter (return to competition reconditioning).

The Sixers wrap up this West Coast road trip with a matchup against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday. Here are some instant observations from a tough loss to the Kings:

Likes:

– George has had plenty of disappointing offensive showings this season. This game was not one of them. The nine-time All-Star carried the Sixers offense from the opening tip. George scored 14 points in the first quarter. He knocked down a few 3-pointers and punished mismatches inside the arc, draining a flurry of mid-range jumpers. His combination of footwork and shooting shined when he turned a post-up against Fox into a wide open turnaround jumper.

let him cook. 👨‍🍳 pic.twitter.com/q4LAAVTwuu

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 2, 2025

In a season where George is struggling as an outside shooter, perhaps he can use this as a get-right game. George was in attack mode all night long. While his jumper was nearly automatic, he also made sure to attack the basket. His success as an outside shooter did a lot to help open up some driving lanes.

another @Yg_Trece bucket for your viewing pleasure: pic.twitter.com/zETGr5KqH7

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 2, 2025

George’s strong night was nearly derailed in the second quarter. George missed a few minutes in the second period after having a hard fall while shooting a layup. Fortunately, he was able to come back into the game and continue to dominate for the Sixers. On a night where the Sixers were missing a lot of firepower, getting a big George performance was critical to giving them a chance to win.

– Caleb Martin has looked like a completely different player upon returning from injury a few games ago. He is knocking down his 3-pointers while continuing to play solid defense. Martin filled up the stat sheet against the kings, totaling 12 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block. The Sixers will be in good shape if they can continue to receive this level of production from Martin.

– Eric Gordon missed the previous four games due to left oral surgery. He was fantastic off the bench in his return to the floor, scoring 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting in 27 minutes off the bench. He showed no signs of rust, immediately drilling multiple 3-pointers upon entering the contest.

The Sixers’ bench as a whole had a strong night. Andre Drummond acted like a man on a mission. He had the size advantage against most of Sacramento’s bigs, taking them to work around the basket. The veteran center went deep into his skillset, making a hook shot and reverse layup in the first half. In addition to his scoring production, Drummond also did all he could to battle defensively and control the glass. He finished with 10 points, nine rebounds and two assists.

Dislikes:

– Despite ending the game with a solid point total, Maxey largely struggled against a bad Kings defense. He was quiet in the first half, failing to do much on either end of the floor. His jumper was not falling, and he began recklessly driving to the basket. However, Maxey got rolling in the third quarter, knocking down a step-back 3-pointer in addition to multiple tough shots at the rim. He came to life, scoring 12 points in the third frame. The combination of Maxey and George propelled the Sixers to a 32-point third quarter effort.

Despite Maxey’s improved production in the third quarter, things were not coming easily for the 23-year-old guard. He still settled at times for out-of-control drives to the basket that resulted mostly in broken possessions for the Sixers. Additionally, Maxey had an underwhelming game as a playmaker. He far too often seems to lock into driving to the basket, ignoring any open teammates on the wing. Maxey has made strides in this area in recent weeks, but he fell back into some bad habits against the Kings. While he was ultimately able to fill up the stat sheet as a scorer, his decision making continues to be an area in need of improvement this season.

– The Sixers’ performance in the fourth quarter was a complete disaster. They were outscored 15-0 in the final 3:34 of action, giving away what was a nine-point lead. Philadelphia coughed up the ball eight times in the fourth quarter alone, with a large portion of them coming at Maxey’s hands. He looked like he did not know how to successfully attack the Kings defense in the final frame. There were many possessions where Maxey struggled against press coverage, either turning the ball over or throwing up a desperation shot.

While Maxey was abysmal in the fourth quarter, he was not alone. George was excellent for the first three quarters, but he disappeared when the Sixers needed him most. The 34-year old failed to score a single point in the fourth quarter. He also contributed to the Sixers’ turnover issues. George ultimately fouled out with 7.4 seconds remaining.

– The Sixers, with multiple front-court players out of the lineup, were likely going to struggle in a few key areas against the Kings. One of those areas was defending the basket. Sabonis feasted around the rim, dominating whatever combination of players the Sixers tried to defend him with. Other than Drummond, the Sixers had nobody who could truly match up well against Sabonis in the post. Guerschon Yabusele has been having an excellent season, but this was a brutal matchup for him. He was able to somewhat salvage his night by knocking down a pair of 3-pointers in the third quarter.

Philadelphia also got slaughtered on the glass, losing the rebounding battle 45-34. Drummond should have played more than 20 minutes considering his rebounding prowess and the Sixers’ struggles in that area against the Kings.

– Kyle Lowry should not see much time on the floor at this stage of his career. He does not provide much outside of a veteran presence. Despite his lack of production being apparent to anyone watching Sixers basketball this season, head coach Nick Nurse continues to make him a staple of the team’s rotation. How much more does Nurse need to see before Lowry’s minutes get drastically cut?