LAS VEGAS — The Sixers have yet to win a game at the Samsung NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, but they see the tournament as a blank slate to turn it around.
The Sixers finished 0-3 in the preliminary games following an 85-77 loss to the Warriors on Tuesday night at Thomas & Mack Center (see Instant Replay). The next round will begin on Wednesday and a win would give them a fresh start.
“I told them tomorrow is the third summer league for us,” Sixers Las Vegas summer league head coach Lloyd Pierce said. “This one’s over with. We didn’t get any wins in the first three games, but now it’s just win and keep playing. It’s new life.”
The Sixers lost their Las Vegas opener on Saturday to the Lakers on a buzzer-beating three by D’Angelo Russell, 70-69. The following day, they came out flat against the Bulls for an 83-70.
Pierce thought the team did not get into an offensive rhythm Tuesday. They shot 40.0 percent from the field, compared to the Warriors’ 47.1 percentage.
Ben Simmons (eight points, eight rebounds, six assists, five turnovers) assessed the Sixers as playing slow and being tired. The Sixers traveled to Las Vegas after playing three games the previous week in Utah summer league (1-2). Simmons, though, believes they can change that in their next game.
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“We’ve just got to come together and focus,” he said. “We’re ready to play. I think everyone is ready to get to the tournament.”
The tournament's schedule and seeds have yet to be announced.
“If we can sneak out a win tomorrow, it gives us some confidence and we can just keep pressing it day by day," Pierce said.
Roster players Jerami Grant and Nik Stauskas are no longer competing in summer league. They did not play Tuesday.
