Sixers collapse late, see winning streak snapped by Kings in ugly loss

New year, always the same nonsense, huh?

After leading 23 of the 24 minutes of the second half, the Sixers lost to the Sacramento Kings 113-107 on Wednesday night. They didn’t score in the final 3:34 of the game and had nine turnovers in the fourth quarter.

Paul George led the Sixers with 30 points, shooting 11 of 20 from the floor. He also had eight rebounds and five assists, but suffered several costly turnovers down the stretch and fouled out with six seconds remaining.

Tyrese Maxey finished with 23 points while shooting 10 of 23 from the floor. De’Aaron Fox led all scorers with 35 points.

Joel Embiid and Kelly Oubre Jr. were out with left foot and hand sprains, respectively.

Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.

First trimester

• Sacramento got off to a pretty quick start. Domantas Sabonis immediately got to work against a small-ball Sixers starting lineup. He scored or assisted 10 of their first 15 points. Starting in Oubre’s place, Kyle Lowry struggled to get passes over defenders. He sent a pass after the entry to Guerschon Yabusele and would have thrown the first pass of the match into the scorers’ table if Maxey had not saved it.
• Maxey was flying everywhere early – he also jumped to fend off a Keon Ellis lob attempt. Offensively, it was George who got off to a good start, making four of his first five shots of the night.

• Nick Nurse slotted deep into the bench while two-way rookie Justin Edwards saw some early minutes, in just his third appearance of the season. Not much happened to him, except that DeRozan gave him a shooting foul. No shame there. On the other side of the court, Ellis fouled George as he said a prayer to close the quarter. That gave him three points at the line and the Sixers a five-point lead.

Second trimester

• In the first, George was taking out many screens to get him to take pictures. To start the second, he started to cook a little on the dribble with a drive to the hoop and a mid-distance fadeaway. Eric Gordon and Andre Drummond also returned after missing the last few games and totaled 19 points off the bench in the first half. Not only that, but Gordon managed to block a Malik Monk three-point attempt.

• Moments later, George drove to the basket, made the layup, but landed hard on his back. He stepped back and grabbed a heating pad, but returned a few minutes later. The Sixers still scored efficiently, making seven of their first 10 shots from inside the arc. The Kings changed things up a bit and ran a zone and were able to slow them down, allowing a 17-3 Sacramento run.
• As the Sixers continued to miss shots, they rushed a bit and turned the ball over a few times. A trio from Caleb Martin scored its only points in the final 4:11 of the half. A Fox three right near the buzzer tied the game at 57 going into the break.

Third trimester

• A hot start to the second half as the teams opened it shooting a combined 8 of 11 from the floor. The Sixers made four of their first five threes as Maxey and Fox traded great finishes in the paint. Maxey didn’t shoot well in the first half but his impact on defense was felt. His sense of timing to be a nuisance on and off the ball has improved a lot this year. The Kings recorded four turnovers early in the quarter.
• After another double-digit drop, it was the Kings’ turn to go up three points in their comeback. Philly’s lead was maintained thanks to some very difficult shots from George.

• Maxey finding a rhythm also helped them stay in the lead. He shot 4 of 6 in the quarter after going 3 of 9 in the first half. His layup in transition with 1:19 left was the final basket of the quarter for both teams as the Sixers maintained a nine-point lead.

Fourth trimester

• This time, it was the Sixers with nasty turnovers that allowed the Kings to reduce the gap. Drummond was called for three seconds in the lane, then Ricky Council IV tried to hit him with a behind-the-back pass that had little hope of hitting the post.
• The lead was cut to four, and then the Sixers started trading baskets again. Maxey’s floater was a good source of offense the night they were in a jam. This allowed him to get off to an easy start when his threes started falling. Everything seemed to be buzzing until George committed his fourth and fifth fouls of the night in quick succession – his third straight game where foul trouble was an issue.

• Once again, the Sixers were left lifeless after extending their lead to nine. They went scoreless for more than three minutes after conceding an 11-0 score. That stretch saw four turnovers, including one where George didn’t know the shot clock was expiring. Then they let the Kings fall behind by 20 seconds before fouling out, and it was George who had to use his sixth. A complete and total collapse that this team cannot afford as the schedule only gets tougher.
• The Sixers finish the West leg of the trip Thursday night against the Golden State Warriors. This game will begin at 10 p.m. ET on TNT. Joel Embiid should be back for this one, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia.