Roob Stats: The 76ers Lost Again And We've Got Some Demoralizing Stats … Again

Roob Stats: The 76ers lost again and we've got some demoralizing stats … again originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Here’s the good news. Yes, there is good news.

The 76ers are down three games to none, but five of the seven times in franchise history they’ve been down 3-0 in a seven-game series they’ve won Game 4.

That’s 1969 and 1985 vs. the Celtics, 2000 vs. the Pacers, 2011 vs. the Heat and 2018 vs. the Celtics.

The only times they’ve been swept in a seven-game series are 1999 vs. the Pacers and the 2020 Celtics series.

In 2000, they even won two games against the Pacers before losing that series in six games.

So history says maybe the 76ers won’t get swept. And around here lately that does pass for good news.

With that, on to the stats off Game 3 of the 76ers’ Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Knicks, a 108-94 loss at Xfinity Mobile Arena. The 76ers have now lost four games this postseason by at least 14 points, tying a franchise record. That’s bad news.

Running out of steam in the 4th quarter: After scoring 12 points in the fourth quarter in Game 2, the 76ers scored just 18 in Game 3. The 76ers have played 498 playoff games in franchise history – including their days as the Syracuse Nationals – and they’ve never scored 30 or fewer combined points in consecutive fourth quarters. This is also the first time they’ve scored 18 or fewer points in consecutive postseason fourth quarter in their last 160 playoff games. In 2000, they had back-to-back 17-point fourth quarters in their series against the Charlotte Hornets.

Those 3’s aren’t going so well for Joel: Joel Embiid was 0-for-4 from 3 and is now 3-for-26 from 3-point range in his six playoff games this year. That’s 11.5 percent. Only seven players in NBA history have shot that poorly from 3-point range in a single postseason (minimum 20 attempts). The only 76er to shoot worse in a single postseason is Charles Barkley, who made two of 20 3’s in 1990-91 for 10 percent. In his career, Embiid is now 68-for-251 from 3 in the playoffs for 27.1 percent. That’s 5th-worst in NBA history among 197 players who’ve taken at least 200 career postseason 3’s. In the last 20 years, only Giannis Antetokounmpo is worse than Embiid at 25.9 percent.

Can’t stop Brunson: With 33 points Friday night, Jalen Brunson now has scored 25 or more points in seven consecutive playoff games against the 76ers, the longest streak of consecutive 25-point games against the 76ers in the playoffs in 35 years, since Michael Jordan did it in 10 games in a row. Only Wilt Chamberlain and Jordan have scored more points in any seven-game span vs. the 76ers than Brunson’s 261 in his last seven games.

Running out of steam: In the first quarter, Paul George made six of nine field goal attempts and three of four 3’s in 10 minutes, scoring 15 points. He played 28 more minutes and went 0-for-9 from the field and 0-for-5 from 3 and didn’t score. He’s the first player in 76ers history to score 15 points in a postseason first quarter and not score again. The fewest points in a game by a 76er who had 15 in the first quarter is 20 by Allen Iverson in Boston in Game 1 of their 2002 Eastern Conference First-Round series. He scored 15 in the first quarter and five the rest of the game.

We need more from No. 0: Tyrese Maxey is minus-39 so far in the Knicks series. Maxey was minus-28 in Game 1, plus-zero in Game 2 and minus-11 in Game 3. This is the worst three-game plus-minus span of his postseason career. His previous worst was minus-36 in Games 4, 5 and 6 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Heat in 2022.

Knicks lighting it up: The Knicks have shot 63 percent, 51 percent and 50 percent from the field in these three games. This is the first time in 21 years the 76ers have allowed a team to shot 50 percent or better in three straight playoff games and only the second time ever a team has made 50 percent of its shots against the 76ers in the first three games of any series. In 1984 the Nets did it in their Eastern Conference First-Round series, and in 2005 the Pistons made 50 percent of their shots in the first three games of their Eastern Conference First-Round series. The Knicks have shot 50 percent or better in a franchise-record five straight games going back to their Atlanta series. There’s only been one longer streak since 1986, and that was the Suns’ eight-gamer streak in 2022.