PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — It is a word used carefully in sports because of the severity of its meaning, but it fits the 76ers in Game 5 of their playoff series with Atlanta.
The Sixers choked.
After holding a 24-point lead late in the third quarter, the Sixers collapsed and fell to the Hawks, 109-106. It was the second straight game in the series in which the Sixers coughed up a huge lead. They now trail the series, three games to two, and face elimination on Friday night in Atlanta.
Coach Doc Rivers says everyone had a hand in the historic collapse.
"Down the stretch we scored 19 points and gave up 40," said Rivers. "It’s on us. It’s on all of us. It’s on me. It’s on the players, and we have to figure out how to get back up, which we will, and bring this game back here for Game 7."
As the Sixers built a 26-point lead in the first half, the offense was crisp and the defense was aggressive. Joel Embiid, who would finish with 37 points and 13 rebounds, looked more like his old self after struggling in Game 4.
Then the wheels came off.
Tobias Harris tried to explain what went wrong: "They started to gain momentum. We didn’t get any movement offensively ... what we were doing and then defensively, we were just non-existent out there for their run."
Seth Curry had 36 points, but he and Embiid were the only Sixers to score in double digits. Ben Simmons struggled at the free throw line as he went 4-for-14.
Simmons admits his free throw struggles are now a mental issue. He also tried to analyze what happened in the second-half collapse.
"We were up. We had it," Simmons said. "I think we just gave it to them. We got too comfortable and didn’t play the way we should be playing. Didn’t move the ball as much in the second half. Didn’t get as many easy shots and, defensively, too many collapses where we didn’t communicate."
The Sixers need to win Game 6 in Atlanta on Friday to force a seventh and deciding game at Wells Fargo Center on Sunday night. One look at social media after Game 5 showed little confidence from the fan base, but Rivers says his team will bounce back. The big question will be if they can recover psychologically from a game that is now on the list of Philadelphia sports heartbreaks.
"We’ll get back up," Rivers said. "We’ll be back here for Game 7. I believe that. The mood was down. It was awful. What would you think it’d be? It would have to be, right? This is part of sports. You have some awful moments."
Few as awful as the one on Wednesday night.