Doc Rivers Not Worried About Sixers' Second Unit

Despite a second-half collapse, the Sixers picked up their seventh straight win on Friday. The shorthanded Pelicans gave them a run for their money late, but the Sixers held on by a final of 109-107. 

Multiple reasons can be attributed to this game being so close, but one glaring thing stands out in the box score. That is the +/- for each Sixer. 

Every starter finished with a double-digit positive +/-, while each reserve player finished in the double-digit negatives. The second unit has been up and down this season, and Friday was the second time this week they were unable to hold onto a lead. 

After the game, Doc Rivers gave his thoughts on where the struggles were within the second unit. 

"Their biggest problem was defensively. They came in, and we actually had a nice lead. Then they came in, and the Pelicans scored every single time down the floor," said Rivers. 

This unit has been a major topic of conversation surrounding the Sixers as the regular season comes to a close. Rivers has been loyal to the second unit all year and continually hints at a deep rotation for the postseason. 

With each blown lead, Rivers might want to reconsider how deep of a rotation he uses comes playoffs. 

Even with another lackluster performance on Friday, Rivers still believes in the talent of that group. Admitting that Friday was just a rough outing for his reserves. 

"There's no fix. We're a good unit. You don't need to go out and fix the whole team because they didn't play well [on Friday]. That unit usually gives us some energy, and they didn't do that [on Friday]," Rivers said postgame. 

Rivers is not wrong in his assessment. While their play is up-and-down, guys like Matisse Thybulle and Dwight Howard typically give that second unit life that was not there against the Pelicans. 

With each blown lead, it becomes more apparent how big of an issue the all-bench lineup can be. Hopefully, this is not a look we see once the playoffs begin. 

When the games start to get serious, there is no reason why one of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, or Tobias Harris on not on the floor at all times. 

Kevin McCormick covers the Philadelphia 76ers for South Jersey's 97.3 ESPN and Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @KevinMcCNBA.