76ers vs. Pelicans: 3 Things That Stood Out on Friday

What stood out for the Sixers in their matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans?

The Philadelphia 76ers have come back down to earth. After snagging seven-straight wins at home, the Sixers hit the road and kept the momentum going when they defeated the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Christmas Day.

After collecting eight-straight wins, with back-to-back comebacks on end, the Sixers’ impressive run came to a halt on Tuesday night when they faced the Washington Wizards. Now, the Sixers’ hot streak has officially turned around temporarily, as another loss on the road issues them two in a row.

Friday night was a meeting between the Sixers and the New Orleans Pelicans. Going into the matchup, the Pelicans were tied for first place in the Western Conference. The 76ers found out precisely why the Pelicans are in a much different position than they were in previous years.

While both teams shot at a high percentage, the Sixers didn’t have an answer for New Orleans’ attack. In the first of two meetings between the out-of-conference foes, the Pelicans got the upper hand with a 127-116 victory, issuing the Sixers their 14th loss of the year.

Here’s what stood out in the Friday night matchup:

No Answers for a Star Duo

On Tuesday, Washington’s Kristaps Porzingis and Bradley Beal put the Sixers to work. On Friday, Pelicans duo Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum had the Sixers working a double shift. The star duo combined for 39 of the Pelicans’ 80 shots from the field on Friday. 

Zion drained 13 of his baskets, putting the Sixers to work down low. He also lived at the free throw line, garnering 16 foul shots, draining ten of them. By the end of the night, Williamson had 36 points.

While the former first-pick put the Sixers to work down low, CJ McCollum torched them from deep. Taking 20 shots from the field, the former Lehigh standout chucked up 16 shots from beyond the arc. 

McCollum not only exceeded his career-high in threes made in a single game with ten deep shots, but he broke the Pelicans’ franchise record by knocking down 11 shots from beyond the arc. McCollum finished the night with 42 points. It was the tenth time in McCollum’s career he exceeded 40 points in a single outing. It was just the second time he did it with the Pelicans. 

Troubles in Transition

The Sixers’ transition defense has been much better lately after an alarmingly bad start to the year. Friday’s performance in that department wasn’t satisfactory, though.

New Orleans scored 11 points per 100 possessions through transition despite just 13 percent of their plays beginning in transition, according to Cleaning the Glass. The Pelicans were getting transition points in every area of the game on Friday.

Philadelphia had a hard time taking care of the ball, and the turnovers started early. In the first quarter of action, the Sixers turned it over seven times, allowing the Pelicans to generate 15 of their 31 first-quarter points off turnovers alone. In total, the Sixers turned the ball over 19 points. As a result, the Pelicans gained 30 points.

James Harden’s Turnover Woes

The star guard’s aggressive playmaking can be a blessing and a curse sometimes. Harden might have the skill set to generate well over ten assists consistently, but the risks he takes can also contribute to a high amount of turnovers if he isn’t careful.

Friday was just one of those nights for The Beard. While he did rack up 10 assists and even scored 20 points on low-volume yet highly-efficient shooting, Harden contributed to a game-high of seven turnovers. Harden and Embiid were the only two Sixers to have more than two turnovers on the night.

Considering a lot of New Orleans' transition points came off steals, Harden's struggles to take care of possessions on Friday was a significant reason why the Sixers couldn't get on track. 

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