Philly’s bench was useless
For most of this series, the 76ers’ bench has not been impressive and in Game 5, they were awful! Their bench scored a total of 13 points on 4-14 shooting from the floor and for the entire game, they have a total plus-minus differential of -51.
Nobody on the Sixers’ bench helped their team in this game, which is another big reason why they fell apart in the second-half. Philadelphia’s starters and All-NBA talents can only play so long before they get tired and in the fourth quarter of this game, they looked gassed!
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Seth Curry has continued to put together stellar performances in these playoffs, as he scored 36 points on 13-19 shooting, including 7-12 shooting from deep, and Joel Embiid continued to be the 76ers’ MVP, scoring 37 points and grabbing 13 rebounds, but these two guys combined for 38 of their team’s 44 points in the second-half.
It is one thing if other guys in the starting rotation, like Tobias Harris are having an off-night, but it is inexcusable for the entire Sixers’ bench to think this game was a viewing party for them at halftime and that they could kick back and watch the massacre in the second-half.
Well, they witnessed a massacre and it was their own! This bench in Philadelphia should be ashamed of their performance in Game 5 and they should be embarrassed because none of them came to play in this one. Joel Embiid can only do so much for this team and he cannot be blamed one bit for this loss on their home court.
In Game 6, the 76ers’ bench needs to do something, otherwise they will be booking their trip to the beach because they will be out of the playoffs. For a team with title aspirations and talking about how “this is their year,” they may have the worst bench in terms of production out of any team remaining in these playoffs.
