Tonight’s matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Clippers came down to the final seconds. James Harden rose for a potential lead-taking three with 6.3 seconds left, and as the shot missed, he turned to the officials, expecting a whistle. Sixers guard Quentin Grimes had closed out hard on the attempt, and there was an immediate belief that contact had been made. However, the whistle never came, and the Sixers went on to close out the game.
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The league addressed the moment shortly after the final buzzer, with The Philadelphia Inquirer‘s Keith Pompey asking Crew Chief Curtis Blair to explain the reasoning behind the no-call. Blair replied, “During live play, it was deemed that Grimes legally contested Harden’s three-point shot.”
His wording made it clear that the officials didn’t see any contact or foul-worthy displacement, despite what many Clippers, including Harden himself, pointed to. After the game, while speaking to reporters, the Clippers guard said, “I thought I was fouled. Grimes touched my elbow.”
Grimes, however, who was even spotted encroaching Harden’s landing space, avoided the allegations, saying, “I mean, everybody knew where the ball was going. So I was just trying to make it as tough as possible. Might’ve fouled him. Might’ve not. But that’s not my call.”
Harden had a difficult shooting game tonight, making just 7 of his 25 shots, but made up for it by getting to the line. Harden ended the match logging 28 points, converting all 12 free throws, as well as six rebounds, five assists, two blocks, and a steal. This game also marked a career milestone for the Beard, as he joined 10 other players in scoring over 28,000 career points.
For now, all Clippers fans can hope for is the league’s Last Two Minute Report, which will hopefully reveal that a mistake was made, but the standings won’t change, and the Sixers have escaped with yet another crunch win.
Tonight’s game also marked the season debut for Sixers star Paul George, who was forced to sit out 41 games last season due to knee, finger, and groin injuries, and the beginning of this season due to an arthroscopic knee surgery in July.
After the game, PG said, “It felt great to finally play basketball again. It’s been, like, eight months since I played so it was a long journey. A lot of ups and downs, a lot of hiccups, but it felt good to finally get out there. I felt good. Just rusty, but I feel good.”
Philadelphia 76ers Rally Late Behind Tyrese Maxey’s ExplosionTyrese Maxey refused to let the game slip away for the Philadelphia 76ers tonight. After the team was down by 10 with about nine minutes left in the fourth, the All-Star went on a blistering run. It was sparked by a Quentin Grimes drive and an Andre Drummond layup, and Maxey detonated: a deep triple, an and-one, and a hard drive that gave Philly their first lead since the game was 5-4 in the first.
But Maxey didn’t carry the comeback alone.
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Drummond, starting instead of Joel Embiid, recorded 14 points and 18 rebounds, keeping them alive on the glass while Grimes dropped 19 points off the bench. Rookie sensation VJ Edgecombe also added 14 points, and PG shook off some rust with a near double-double in nine points and seven rebounds. For a fact, the Sixers’ depth delivered when the moment called for it.
For the Clippers, however, this was the latest in a series of collapses. Despite James Harden’s 17-point first quarter, his shooting completely fell apart afterwards. Rookie Kobe Sanders was a bright spot for the team, logging a career-high 17 points in his first start, and Ivica Zubac added a double-double. Still, LA couldn’t withstand Philly’s final surge, and the controversial no-call was just the nadir of LA’s 10th loss of the season, and their eighth in nine games.
