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Sixers takeaways: Defensive woes, Jared Butler's shot and honoring Mutumbo
The 76ers needed to show more of a presence on the defensive end. Jared Butler needs to find his shot.
And, the team’s highlight was honoring the late Dikembe Mutombo.
Those three things stood out in the Sixers’ 124-104 loss to the Boston Celtics Thursday night at the Wells Fargo Center.
Wide-open shots
Wide-open shots
The Sixers defense was non-existent against the Celtics, who roamed around untouched and attempted a lot of wide-open shots. That enabled them to make 24 of 54 three-pointers while shooting 48.3% from the field.
“Yeah, we have to do a better job of guarding off,” said Tyrese Maxey. “Getting into the ball, getting in the guy’s direction where you wanted them to go, and then get into the shooter, and not letting them cut and shoot threes. That’s what they live and die on, so you give them those and the game’s going to be easy for them.”
Butler's shooting woes
Butler's shooting woes
Jared Butler failed to score, shooting 0-for-4, which included three missed three-point attempts in 3 minutes, and 27 seconds of action.
This comes after the reserve point guard scored eight points on 2-for-9 shooting against the Brooklyn Nets on Feb. 12. And he’s shooting just 36.6% in his four games since being acquired by the Sixers in a trade from the Washington Wizards.
Butler must find his shot if he expects to make an impact off the bench.
Honoring Mutumbo
Honoring Mutumbo
The Sixers honored Mutombo, who played for the team from Feb. 22, 2001 through Aug. 6, 2002.
The Hall of Fame center and noted humanitarian passed away on Oct. 1 from brain cancer. He was a key member of the Sixers’ last team to reach the NBA Finals. The first 5,000 fans in the arena received a Mutombo foam finger.
The Sixers also did a video tribute in the first quarter. The players warmed up in special “DM55″ shooting shirts. And his family members rang the ceremonial bell.
