Sixers pull out last minute win over Pelicans

The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans, 109-107. The Sixers, who were down by as many as 7 points at point in the 4th quarter, took the lead with 1:10 left of play thanks to a Tobias Harris 3PT. Most of the game, though, was not as pretty as Tobi’s game winner. It was a sloppy contest, but in the end, the Sixers walk away with a much-needed win.

Philadelphia improves to 46-21, putting the Brooklyn Nets 3 games back of the Sixers. New Orleans falls to 30-37, now 2 games back of the San Antonio Spurs, who at 10th in the Western Conference currently possess the final play-in seed.

Joel Embiid led the scoring charge for the Sixers, finishing with 37 points to go with 13 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks. Ben Simmons flirted with a triple-double, racking up 8 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists and adding 2 steals for good measure. In addition to Embiid and Simmons, the remaining Sixers starters largely controlled the game. However, Philly’s bench could not keep pace with the Pelicans’ reserves. Just take a look at these box scores:

NBA.com

NBA.com

As previously alluded to, the game was not exactly a basketball clinic. Neither team shot the ball very well overall (although the Sixers shot 42.9% from 3PT!), Sixers turnovers were frequent, and both squads served up a healthy dose of fouls. The final five minutes of regulation seemed to be a competition over which team could score the least. The Sixers lost, so they won. The Pelicans’ turnover to end the game was a microcosm of the whole affair.

Hey, nobody said you have to win pretty.

The Sixers are back on the South Philly hardwood tomorrow night (Saturday, 5/8) against the Detroit Pistons, 7:00 pm ET. That contest will broadcast on NBC Sports Philadelphia and 97.5 The Fanatic. Following the Pistons’ game, the Sixers finish out their season against the Indiana Pacers (away, 5/11), Miami Heat (away, 5/13), and the Orlando Magic twice (home, 5/14 and 5/16). gam,e