The Philadelphia 76ers have lost consecutive games for the first time all season. The Los Angeles Clippers stole the win at the Wells Fargo Center by beating the 76ers 78-77. Chris Paul proved his superstardom by draining the winning bucket with just seconds remaining. As a 76ers fan this was definitely a tough way to end a huge seven game stretch. Still, Philadelphia played mostly strong basketball over the last couple of weeks so they shouldn't harp too much on this one. They are back in action on Saturday, February 11 so the time to move on is now.
A packed house was on hand to watch this game. Some fans were there to see Blake Griffin do his thing for the Clippers, but the majority of fans were rooting for the 76ers. Fresh off of a selection to the All-Star Game, Andre Iguodala earned a big ovation. Unfortunately he struggled to find his shot. Iguodala had 12 points after making just five of his 13 shots. e wa He was one of five 76ers players to score in double figures though no one scored more than 12 points. Poor shooting was once again the theme for the 76ers. They shot just 41 percent as a team.
Despite the poor shooting, the 76ers actually outdid the Clippers in that area. Los Angeles shot just 39 percent from the floor. Chris Paul had 24 points on 50 percent shooting but the rest of the team really struggled to find the net. The Clippers made just two of their 19 field goal attempts. The opportunities for the 76ers to pull away were there in this game. Unfortunately, they couldn't hold a nine point lead after the first quarter.
Neither team particularly outplayed the other in this game. This was a battle between two strong teams and the Clippers got the edge by knocking down the final shot. There is no shame in losing this game. The 76ers went 4-3 in a very difficult stretch and convinced everyone that they are as good as their record indicates. Now they have to keep the ball rolling when they visit the Cleveland Cavaliers on February 11. The team will be ready.
* - Mark Paul is a Philadelphia 76ers fan. Follow him on Twitter here.
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