Kelly Oubre Addresses Philly Boobirds After Sixers Loss vs. Pelicans

Wells Fargo Center boobirds received credit for motivating Kelly Oubre and the Philadelphia 76ers in the loss against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Fans of Philadelphia sports have embraced holding a reputation of booing when their teams’ play isn’t satisfying to watch. 

Sometimes, the booing goes over just fine, as players take it as motivation, but it doesn’t always sit right for players who don’t spend a chunk of their career playing for a team like the Philadelphia 76ers.

First-year Sixer Kelly Oubre experienced a frustrated Philly crowd on Friday night as his team faced the New Orleans Pelicans. During the first half of the matchup, the Sixers struggled on both ends of the floor, which led to what looked like a blowout in the making. 

Heading into halftime, the Sixers trailed 63-34. They shot just 28 percent from the field and hit on only two of their 20 three-point attempts. Meanwhile, the Pelicans shot over 50 percent from the field and hit on half of their threes. 

In a game where the Sixers trailed by as many as 35 points in the first half, the Wells Fargo Center crowd couldn’t help but let the home team hear it.

Kelly Oubre shows frustration as the Sixers fell short to the Pelicans on Friday.  / USA Today

“Listen man, I was very adamant, I haven’t been booed here yet,” said Sixers veteran Kelly Oubre after the game. But after hearing it in the first half, the veteran believed the team got on the same page and became motivated to turn their crowd back on their side.

“It was just like, if we don’t pick it up, they’re going to boo us out of the gym, maybe out of the city,” he added. “It was just a message, honestly, that was straightforward, and not even me, everybody felt it.”

The Sixers outscored the Pelicans by six points coming out of the half. Holding New Orleans to just 30 percent shooting in the third quarter, the lead was cut down to 23 before the fourth quarter. The score seemed out of reach, but the Sixers made the Pelicans uncomfortable.

“We had to come out and fight,” Oubre continued. “At least show fight so that we give ourselves the best chance to maybe come back.” 

The Sixers outscored the Pelicans by 15 points in the fourth quarter, creeping within two possessions late in the game. Ultimately, they came up short, however.

“If we played like we did in the second half in the first half to start the game, it would have been a completely different story tonight,” Oubre claimed.

The Sixers were at a major disadvantage heading into Friday’s game, considering they missed a handful of key players such as Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Nic Batum, and more. However, the effort of the shorthanded team was below-standard. 

“We just have to come out for 48 minutes, starting at minute zero, as soon as the ball tips,” Oubre stated. 

The 76ers failed to utilize a next-man-up mindset, and lacked urgency even when the game got out of hand in the first half. By the time they snapped out of it, it was too late. Just like that, the Sixers slipped into a three-game losing streak with losses to the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis Grizzlies, and now the Pelicans after falling short 103-95.

Philly will hit the practice court on Saturday to prepare for their Sunday night showdown against the New York Knicks on the road. The schedule doesn’t get any easier moving forward, but there’s hope within the team that Friday night was a reality check before the Sixers embark on two straight tough divisional battles away from home.