Despite Losing to the Clippers, Sixers Put on an Encouraging Performance

The Sixers were defeated by the Clippers on Sunday, but it was one of their more encouraging performances as of late.

Not a lot has gone right for the Philadelphia 76ers since they've returned from the NBA All-Star break. As both Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons teased a strong final third effort ahead of the first game back two weeks ago, the Sixers' All-Star's ended up suffering injuries, which have kept them off the court recently.

Without their two young superstars, the Sixers headed out to the West Coast this weekend to kickstart a tough four-game road trip. The series of tough matchups started on Sunday afternoon, as the Sixers were scheduled to face the Los Angeles Clippers for the second time this season.

A few weeks back, the Sixers matched up well against the Clippers as they picked up a 110-103 win at home. At the time, however, the Sixers were at full strength. On Sunday, they were already shorthanded heading into the matchup, and the injury hits kept on coming. Ten minutes into Sunday's game, Sixers' starting guard Josh Richardson went down with an injury, which kept him out for the remainder of the game.

Assuming since Richardson was having a solid outing with nine points, his departure was significant. But the Sixers still turned in a valiant effort against a tough Clippers team on the road. Philly was led by their temporary starting point guard, Shake Milton. The second-year veteran was offered 40 minutes' worth of playing time, and he took advantage of every opportunity as he drained a career-high of 39 points.

Shake Milton CAREER-HIGH 39 ‼️@SniperShake erupts for 39 PTS, 7 3PM for the @sixers in LA. pic.twitter.com/J0EzZ0uSGi

— NBA (@NBA) March 1, 2020

Unfortunately, Milton's performance wasn't enough to help the Sixers break their losing streak on the road. Eventually, the Clippers took control of the game in and the second half and capped off the afternoon with a 136-130 victory over the Sixers, splitting the series between the two teams this season.

While the Sixers' effort while shorthanded was encouraging, their road record still takes another hit as they are just 9-22 in away matchups. Sunday's loss marks the seventh-straight road loss for the Sixers as they haven't picked up a victory away from home in over a month now.

From here on out, the schedule doesn't get any easier either. The 76ers will stay put in Los Angeles as they prepare for a late matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. If they can get Richardson back in time, his contributions could be a difference-maker, but it's surely not going to be an easy matchup for a struggling Sixers team.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_