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Road win in Philly🤝#Pelicans | @HancockWhitney pic.twitter.com/Ioa79LxaEZ
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) March 9, 2024
The Pelicans were up by 36, which was trimmed down to five as the 76ers scored 34 points in the surging final quarter. The momentum was on the 76ers’ side but the time wasn’t, as the Pelicans achieved back-to-back wins.
Williamson led the way for the Pelicans with 23 points alongside a season-high 12 rebounds, four assists, three blocks, and two steals. He shot 7-of-14 from the field in 35 minutes of playing time.
The 23-year-old power forward was performing well on both ends of the floor earlier and accounted for three blocks, one of which was a huge rejection on Kelly Oubre Jr.
Brandon Ingram racked up 17 points and seven rebounds. Naji Marshall contributed from the Pelicans’ bench as well with 19 points.Zion Williamson protects the paint with a forceful block 🚫
— NBA (@NBA) March 9, 2024
Pelicans-Sixers | Live on the NBA App
📲 https://t.co/PqnyhAHImy pic.twitter.com/Rbh9HpMFML
The 76ers scored only 15 points in the first quarter and went nearly three minutes into the second quarter before they scored a point. They missed 18 of 20 threes in the first half.
Tobias Harris had 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Sixers, and Oubre Jr. scored 20. The Sixers lost for the 15th time in 21 games, dropping the expected Eastern Conference contender to seventh in the standings entering the game.
They are 6-11 since Embiid went down in a Jan. 30 game when Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga fell on the 7-footer’s left leg. There is still no timetable on Embiid’s return from knee surgery.
The 76ers lost their third straight game without Maxey, who is recovering from a concussion. Maxey lost his balance on a drive Sunday in the third quarter of a game at Dallas and banged his head on another player’s knee. He left the game, but was able to return and finish.
While Embiid and Maxey are the biggest names sitting out, the Sixers have been riddled by injuries this season — Nic Batum (left foot soreness) was added to a list of absent players that also included Robert Covington (knee) and De’Anthony Melton (back).
That helped make it an easy night for the Pelicans. They hit five 3s and made a whopping 14 of 20 shots overall in the first quarter to grab a 23-point lead. Under coach and former 76ers guard Willie Green, the Pelicans are fifth in the West.
The Pelicans led 50-20 and had another romp in sight before letting the 76ers get tantalizing close in the waning moments. They tied a franchise record with a 48-point first quarter last Friday in a 27-point win over the Pacers. New Orleans won by 41 points and handed the short-handed Raptors the worst home defeat in franchise history on Tuesday night.
