By Sam Bush
Each defeat these Sixers pile up along the way to the draft lottery is a teachable moment.
Saturday night’s drubbing by the L. A. Clippers taught us, among other things, how good Doc Rivers’ team is.
Also, that Michael Carter-Williams is injured, as he was last night, Tony Wroten can more than fill the bill.
But in the end the Clippers just had too many good players — Chris Paul had 24 points and 12 assists, J.J. Redick added 17 points — and the Clippers beat the Sixers 127-91.
Blake Griffin scored 15 points and DeAndre Jordan had 10 rebounds to help send the NBA-worst 76ers to their sixth straight loss against the Clippers. They ended 2014 with a 21-point win over the lowly Knicks and built an early 19-point lead against the even worse 76ers.
Wroten scored 27 points, Robert Covington added 23 and former UCLA star Luc Mbah a Moute (photo above) had 14 for the 76ers, who fell to 4-28 with their fifth straight loss overall and fifth in a row on the road. Nerlens Noel had 12 rebounds.
The Sixers twice got within four early in the third on 3-pointers by Covington and Wroten. The Clippers answered with a 10-0 run, including four by Paul and a 3-pointer from Matt Barnes, to extend their lead to 77-63.
Griffin dunked and Jamal Crawford made three straight free throws in a 7-0 spurt that sent the Clippers to the fourth with an 88-74 lead. Crawford finished with 12 points and Jordan Farmar had each of his 13 in the fourth.
The Clippers pulled away when Farmar scored their first seven points in the final period for a 95-74 lead. The starters got valuable rest, with the second unit easily preserving the lead.
