76ers’ Doc Rivers Reveals ‘Turning Point’ vs. Pelicans

What was the turning point for Philadelphia in Friday's loss in New Orleans?

The Philadelphia 76ers silenced a hostile crowd early on Friday night when they tipped off against the New Orleans Pelicans. With an early 16-6 run, Philadelphia managed to lead by as many as ten points in the first quarter.

That lead quickly faded, though. And by the end of the night, the early ten-point advantage the Sixers had over the Pelicans ended up being the only lead they had on the night. 

A second-straight loss issued the Sixers their 14th of the year in New Orleans. After the game, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers revealed the turning point for Philadelphia. 

“We gave up 30 points off of 19 turnovers. We gave up another 14 points off of offensive rebounds. That’s 44 points before you even start the game,” said Rivers. “That’s like spotting a team 44 points and saying, ‘Now, let’s play.’ You’re not gonna win that game. I thought early on we guarded them well, then (McCollum) got going. I thought we started the game out well, got a good lead, then the second group struggled a little bit for us. I thought that was the turning point of the game.”

Seven turnovers in the first quarter allowed the Pelicans to get 15 of their 31 points on the Sixers. Six more turnovers from Philly in the second quarter helped New Orleans generate ten more points off offensive mistakes.

Halftime was a good opportunity for the Sixers to re-adjust and clean up some of those offensive mistakes. While the third quarter went well for Philly in the turnover department, as they turned the ball over just one time, the fourth quarter was a different story.

Coughing the ball up five more times, the Sixers finished Friday’s game with 19 turnovers, which turned into 30 points for the Pelicans. New Orleans won the battle, as they turned it over 14 times in comparison. 

“I thought the turnovers, we never could get a rhythm,” Rivers finished. “It was throughout the game. It would be great if it was just one stretch — it just never stopped.”

The Sixers fell short to the Pelicans, taking on a 127-116 loss. They’ll move on from Friday’s game, looking ahead to Saturday’s matchup on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.