Embiid, Harris Send Positive Message to Sixers After Loss vs. Clippers

The Philadelphia 76ers looked like they were getting ready to cruise right past the Los Angeles Clippers in South Philly on Friday night.

After getting outscored 24-17 in the first quarter, the Sixers came back with a substantial second-quarter performance as they went on a 37-16 run before halftime.

With a 14-point lead at the intermission, the Sixers built on top of that in the third quarter as they led by as much as 24 points. 

But a lack of focus as the game went on caused the Sixers to slip. And as the Clippers gained momentum, chipping away at Philly's lead, they eventually found a way to get out in front and take a late-game lead.

The matchup went down to the wire. While the Sixers had one last chance to get out in front as they had the ball on the final possession with just seconds left while trailing one point, Tyrese Maxey's last-chance shot was unsuccessful. 

Suddenly, the Sixers went from having a blowout win on their hands to taking on a massively disappointing loss, picking up their 19th defeat of the year.

"First and foremost, it hurts," said Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey after the game. "Any time you lose, it hurts, no matter if you lose by 25, one, two, if you come up on the wrong end when there are zeroes on the clock, it's always gonna hurt. But as soon as we all got in the locker room, Tobias and Joel walked around and said, 'We win together, we lose together.' We got another game in 48 hours, so we're gonna get on the plane, go to San Antonio, and try to get a W."

Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris have established themselves as the Sixers' leaders this season as they are seasoned veterans who have been battle-tested in this league. No amount of experience helps ease the pain of a bad loss -- but Harris and Embiid know that a collapse in the regular season isn't an end-all-be-all situation.

"We know that honestly, we just blew this one," Harris admitted. "We all know that in the locker room. We have to be better for the next and learn from it. Learn some things that we can be better at, especially on the defensive end, and we'll figure that out and push on from here."

The Sixers have been shorthanded lately and will likely continue to be when they face the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night. While their lack of help from the bench certainly affected their game on Friday, the Sixers understand that shouldn't be used as an excuse, and they have to simply prepare better for their next matchup.

"Obviously, we have a lot of guys out that can contribute, but that's not an excuse," said Joel Embiid. "You've just got to go out there every single night and try to do what we talk about. Whether it's film sessions, shootarounds, or practices, we've got to be better prepared."

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.