Sixers Star Front and Center in Ugly Loss to Portland Trail Blazers

Joel Embiid and two other Sixers were late scratches on the final stop of a' five-game west road trip, and Philadelphia was mentally on the plane home by the time the third quarter began. An ugly blowout to end a good road trip.

Here's what happened.

Containing Avdija

Perhaps the biggest reason this game swayed in Philadelphia's direction for the majority of the first half was that the Sixers approached Blazers star Deni Avdija the same way defenses often approach Tyrese Maxey in games for which Embiid is out.

The Sixers were determined not to let him turn corners in single coverage and get downhill. When Avdija did get into the paint, the Sixers packed bodies. They flooded the ball and forced him to make excellent passing decisions more often than not. He does't have the tightest handle, and they were able to jar the ball away for turnovers or knock it loose enough for him to lose control and chuck up something off balance. Avdija made three shots in the first half, one of which was a layup on a back-cut.

You'll accept that outcome every time because it means you've largely contained Avdija. That put the ball in the hands of Toumani Camara more often than not. That's a bet you'll live with, and he burned them. He's been a below-average three-point shooter this season. Camara hit five of them in the first half. If the shooting regression tilts toward him, you tip your cap.

All of that collapsed as soon as the third quarter started. It was as if the Sixers forgot the scouting report. Avdija is fast and athletic. He powers Portland's offense by pushing the pace. If you don't account for him, he's just going to drive hard for a dunk or look for a pass as he rim-runs. The surest sign of impending collapse was Avdija missing a free throw, getting the offensive rebound and then walking the ball out to the wing for an open three while the Sixers scrambled to do nothing. They let him see a pair of threes go down early in the third, and he was cooking from then on.

Watford plays big

Trendon Watford played less than 13 minutes in the first half, the fewest of any starter. But when Watford was in the game, he played big. He helped the Sixers keep pace with his touch in the paint. Watford dropped a couple of floaters, even finishing through a foul for a three-point play.

That touch on the move is such a valuable skill for a forward with ball-handling skills to have. Not only is it easily actionable in the two-man game with Maxey, but you can use him as the third man in an action. There were possessions throughout this game in which Watford made plays off the ball, cutting to the paint and making himself available to score on the move.

Good day of work for a pair of deep bench guys

Justin Edwards got some extended run on a night when the team was woefully short-handed and it did not start out great. He dribbled the ball basically the length of the court and took a pull-up 12-footer, missing it well short. You weren't quite sure whether that would bleed into his confidence as his stint went on, but Edwards actually played quite well in the first half. The second-year wing drilled a pair of threes and picked off a ball for a live turnover, which resulted in a pair of free throws.

MarJon Beauchamp also made his Sixers debut and immediately played connector within the offense. He swung a pass to Andre Drummond for a corner three, getting to the rim and kicking it out to the spaced big man. Beauchamp was the recipient of a pass in the paint and kept it moving as he provided rim pressure, finding a teammate on the wing for a three.

Maybe the worst game of Tyrese Maxey's career

Maxey got off to a decent start in this game, getting to the rim for several scores in the first quarter. But his approach was horrendous all night long. He had Camara wearing his jersey basically all game. I can see how eventually your motor would die and you'd give into some bad step-back threes. But Maxey was letting Camara back him up well beyond the arc early in this game.

It got worse as the game went on. When the Sixers were reeling in the third quarter, Maxey was tossing up junk that got stuffed or fell off the rim, leading to more run-outs for the eager Blazers. He also lost the handle a few times, sending Portland out in transition. His body language was atrocious through this game's death spiral. Every turnover, every teammate's missed shot and every bad defensive moment led Maxey to look on in disgust and drop his shoulders in frustration.

But the attitude wasn't enough. Nick Nurse let him log minutes as he botched defensive coverages. He was disengaged in those moments, going through the motions. If you're going to get credit in the victories, you have to take some responsibility in the defeats. The accountability only grows when you earn All-Star starter status. After the second blown defensive coverage, a slipped screen that got Portland a dunk while Maxey stood unaware, Nurse should've taken him out of the game. The guy who sets the tone was not setting the tone, and the effort was just unacceptable.

This game was a good reminder that, as good as Maxey is, the ceiling is only a couple feet off the floor when a 6-foot-2 guard is first in the pecking order. You're going to see the rangiest defender the other team has every night, and you're not going to be able to ride shooting heaters for 82 games. Perhaps this game plays out a little differently if Quentin Grimes and Dominick Barlow are available. It almost certainly plays out differently if Embiid is available. But this was a rude reminder that Embiid remains far and away the best player on the team.

Spare thoughts

How does Nurse not call a timeout after Avdija hits that three off his own missed free throw to expand the lead to 13?

Maybe after the 11th three of the night, someone will decide to stick with Camara. How do you let guys stay open after they make five threes in a half? Just shut the lights off and keep a body on them.

The Sixers gave up 49 points in the third quarter. That is more than 4 points per minute. Impressively terrible.