Sixers Will Close Out NBA Summer League vs. Utah Jazz

At the beginning of August, the NBA announced the Sixers would have a five-game NBA Summer League schedule out in Las Vegas this month.  They found out they
Sixers Will Close Out NBA Summer League vs. Utah Jazz
Sixers Will Close Out NBA Summer League vs. Utah Jazz /

At the beginning of August, the NBA announced the Sixers would have a five-game NBA Summer League schedule out in Las Vegas this month. 

They found out they would kick off the mini-schedule with a matchup against the Dallas Mavericks, which occurred last Monday afternoon.

After the Dallas outing, the Sixers got a couple of days off before facing the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday.

Then, Philly got a day off before facing the Boston Celtics and the Minnesota Timberwolves in back-to-back matchups this past weekend.

With the fifth and final game to-be-determined when the schedules were released, the Sixers were unsure when and where they would play against their next opponent, whoever that might be.

On Sunday night, the league made Philly's fifth Summer League matchup official.

Game Details

Opponent: Utah Jazz

Date: Tuesday, August 16, 2021

Time: 3:30 PM EST.

Location: Cox Pavilion

Broadcast: NBA TV

When the Sixers opened up the Summer League with a dominant victory over the Mavericks, second-year forward Paul Reed mentioned that he believes they should be on the road to the Summer League championship.

Although Philly struggled in its second matchup against the Atlanta Hawks at first, the Sixers formed a comeback and forced overtime, eventually defeating the Hawks and remaining undefeated through two games.

However, the situation got difficult for the Sixers ahead of Saturday's game against the unbeaten Boston Celtics. As Sixers' leading scorer Tyrese Maxey was cleared to leave Vegas so he could host a basketball camp in Texas, the Sixers struggled without their starting point guard on Saturday.

After taking their first loss of the summer, the Sixers' championship hopes were shot. The Sixers looked to bounce back against the Timberwolves on Sunday, but they took another loss in the overtime thriller, moving to 2-2 before the finale.

Now, they'll close out the Summer League with a game against the Utah Jazz. Meanwhile, the Sacramento Kings and the Boston Celtics will battle it out for the championship on Tuesday night.

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


Published
Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA