The only player you care about looking good while the rest of the team gets smoked is the quintessential Summer League experience.
The Summer Sixers were demolished 87-64 by the Houston Rockets. They are now 2-1 with their penultimate game coming Wednesday at 4 p.m against Orlando. Their final game has yet to be announced.
Labaron Philon Jr. was the only Sixer who could find the hoop for much of the night. He went for a team-high 17 points shooting 7-of-11 from the floor along with four assists and two steals. Johni Broome finished with just two points and three rebounds on 1-of-5 shooting.
Amani Lyles was the only Sixer to reach double-digits. He shot 4-of-7 from the floor to finish with 13 points and three rebounds. Isaiah Crawford, who spent last season with Houston on a two-way, led all scorers with 19.
There was a lid on the rim for both teams as they combined to start the game 1-of-12 from the field. Philon snaking in nicely for a midrange at the 6:20 mark was the Sixers’ first points of the game. Finding the hoop remained a struggle for them while Houston was able to get in a rhythm. At the end of the first quarter the Sixers had scored eight points, seven of them by Philon.
The 2026 first-round pick was the only Sixer playing well, and he was doing so despite the Rockets’ defense loading up to stop him. They threw aggressive double teams at him nearly every trip down the court. He passed out of them very well, showing an impressive feel for passing, his teammates just weren’t able to convert. Philon was at least able to throw one flashy assist, saving a broken play with a touch bounce pass down to Amani Lyles for an and-1.
Broome did not have the same success. He missed both his first three field goal attempts of the game, and his first three free throw attempts, finally getting on the board three minutes into the second half. The Rockets were able to take away his post-ups fairly easily, getting the ball out of his hands in various ways.
Shooting 31% from the field, every field goal the Sixers were able to make felt noteworthy. They showed some life coming up with two consecutive steals after a Duke Miles three. Lyles picked up a lot of his production in this stretch doing the dirty work, but the 10-0 run they went on was the best they could do.
Isaac Johnson took a couple of charges, but has yet to replicate his shooting performance from his summer debut. His lone assist of the night was a nice high-low pass down to the block. Miles made a nice behind-the-back move to beat a defender, but was unable to finish the bucket. He ended up with five points shooting 2-of-9 on the night. He made some hustle plays to keep possessions alive, but his funky shot form makes it hard to believe in him in any serious setting.
Bell Ringer
Standings
- Isaac Johnson – 1
- Labaron Philon Jr. – 1
Candidates
- Labaron Philon Jr.
- Amani Lyles
