Kings lose ground in playoff race with loss to shorthanded Philadelphia 76ers
Tobias Harris had 28 points and 14 rebounds as the shorthanded Philadelphia 76ers rolled to a 125-108 victory over the Kings on Thursday night at Golden 1 Center.
Shake Milton scored 20 points for the 76ers (38-25), who snapped a nine-game road losing streak despite missing three of their four leading scorers. Alec Burks added 17 points. Raul Neto had 16.
De’Aaron Fox had 23 points and seven assists for the Kings (27-35), who fell a half-game behind the Portland Trail Blazers for ninth in the Western Conference. Buddy Hield came off the bench to score 22 points despite being held to two in the first half.
The 76ers shot 49 percent from the field and made 17 of 37 (.459) from 3-point range. The Kings shot 53.2 percent but committed 18 turnovers.
The Kings came out flat and fell behind by double digits in the opening minutes. The 76ers went up 18-8 on a 3-pointer by Milton and extended their lead to 12 when Horford buried a long ball with 3:38 to play in the first quarter. Kent Bazemore and Nemanja Bjelica led a momentary charge as Sacramento staged a 10-0 run to tie the game, but Philadelphia mounted a 12-2 run in the second to reestablish a 12-point lead.
Philadelphia led 63-53 at the break. The Kings shot 55 percent in the opening half, but they committed 10 turnovers and allowed the 76ers to make 9 of 19 from 3-point range.
Neto converted a three-point play to put the 76ers up 80-61 midway through the third quarter. Bjelica answered with a 3-pointer to spark a 15-2 run as the Kings cut the deficit to six with 3:14 to play in the third, but they were outscored 12-2 over the final 2:24 and trailed 96-80 going into the fourth.
Philadelphia continued to light the Kings up from outside and led by as many as 20 in the fourth quarter. The Kings made one last run to get within six with 4:58 remaining following a barrage of 3-pointers by Hield, but they couldn’t get any closer.
Playoff watch
Going into the game, the Kings were tied with the Trail Blazers for ninth in the Western Conference, 3 ½ games behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the eighth seed.
They are now tied with the San Antonio Spurs for 10th in the West. They trail the Grizzlies by four games and the Blazers by a half-game.
A critical game awaits the Kings this weekend. They will visit the Blazers on Saturday. Portland will be on the second night of a back-to-back after visiting the Phoenix Suns on Friday night.
Shorthanded Sixers
The 76ers were missing three of their four leading scorers. Center Joel Embiid (shoulder), guard Ben Simmons (back) and guard Josh Richardson (concussion) were all out.
Embiid, a three-time All-Star, is averaging 23.3 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.3 blocked shots. Simmons, a two-time All-Star, averages 16.7 points, 8.2 assists, 7.8 rebounds and 2.1 steals. Richardson is averaging 13.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists.
Home and away
The 76ers have been almost unbeatable at home, but they have struggled to win games on the road.
The 76ers are 28-2 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, where they have won 14 in a row since suffering back-to-back losses to the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks in mid December.
The 76ers haven’t been the same away from home. They were 9-23 and had lost nine in a row on the road going into Thursday’s game.
At home, the 76ers have wins over the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets. On the road, they have lost to the Phoenix Suns, Washington Wizards, Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Injury report
76ers: OUT — Joel Embiid (shoulder); Ben Simmons (back); Josh Richardson (concussion protocol).
Kings: OUT — Marvin Bagley III (foot), Richaun Holmes (shoulder).
Kings upcoming schedule
March 7 at Portland, 7 p.m.
March 8 vs. Toronto, 6 p.m.
March 11 vs. New Orleans, 7 p.m.
March 15 vs. Brooklyn, 6 p.m.
March 17 vs. Dallas, 7 p.m.
This story was originally published March 5, 2020 at 9:23 PM.
