SACRAMENTO, Calif. _ No Wilson Chandler or JJ Redick equaled no victory for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Even though their three stars played valiantly, the absence of the team's two least heralded starters was hard to overcome. On this night, no one outside of Jimmy Butler marched Redick's sharpshooter. Nor did the Sixers have anyone replicate the things Chandler does a glue guy.
As a result, the Sacramento Kings were able to escape with a 115-108 victory Saturday night at the Golden 1 Center.
The Sixers (34-19) had very little contribution outside of their three stars in Butler, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. The trio combined to score 80 of Philly's 108 points.
Putting the Sixers on his back, Butler scored 18 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter. He made 4 of 8 three-point attempts in the fourth quarter after not attempting a three in the first three quarters. Embiid added 29 points and game highs of 17 rebounds and four blocks. Simmons had 22 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists.
Butler converted a three-point play to give the Sixers a 98-97 lead with 4 minutes, 30 seconds left. The teams exchanged the lead on the next six possessions. But the Kings had an 111-106 lead after Marvin Bagley's putback with 59.9 seconds left. After Butler answered with a three-pointer, WIllie Cauley-Stein made a foul shot before Buddy Hield made three to make it a 115-108.
This marked the Sixers' third consecutive series loss to the Kings (27-25).
The Sixers announced Saturday morning that Chandler will be sidelined two to three weeks with a right quadriceps strain. As a result, he'll continue to be sidelined for the remaining five games heading into the All-Star Break.
Redick missed the game as part of a scheduled rest day for the 34-year-old. Rookie guard Landry Shamet started in his place, while Mike Muscala got the starting nod at power forward.
The two struggled from the field, combining to shoot 4-for-14 from the field. Muscala had three points on 1-for-7 shooting, while Shamet had eight on 3-for-7 shooting.
But they weren't the only Sixers who struggled to make shots. The Sixers not named Butler combined to made just 3 of 25 three-pointers.
Hield had a game-high 34 points.
This was a good bounce-back game for Butler. He had as many points in the first quarter (seven) as he had in Thursday's victory over the Golden State Warriors.
Corey Brewer finished with four points in what could have been his final game in a Sixers uniform. Sunday will the final day of his second 10-day contract with the Sixers. The must sign him for the remainder of the season or release him.
"You know, we really like what we've seen from him, on and off the court," general manager Elton Brand said. "Another to-be-determined decision, because he's been great and he's definitely worthy of being in the NBA. He showed that."
While they like Brewer, the Sixers want to see what options are out there via a trade or possibly signing a player who get his contract bought out.
The Sixers could decide to wait before making a decision to sign the swingman. However, that would run the risk of him signing with another team.
