Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) goes to the hoop between Utah Jazz guard Ochai Agbaji (30) and center Walker Kessler (24) during the game at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023.
Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
The Utah Jazz lost to the Philadelphia 76ers 118-117 on Saturday night at Vivint Arena.
On the second night of a back-to-back, without Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton and Kelly Olynyk, the Jazz took the Sixers down to the wire, but weren’t able to get a last shot off before the final buzzer sounded.
Here are three keys that contributed to the Jazz’s loss:
James Harden had 18 points in the fourth quarter alone and finished the night with 31. He went 6 of 7 in the final period to help lead the Sixers to victory.
Though Joel Embiid struggled down the stretch, scoring just six points in the last 12 minutes, it was his 13-foot fadeaway with just seconds left to play that won the game.
The Jazz came back from a 20-point deficit in the first quarter and were able to put pressure on the Sixers, especially in the third quarter when they held them to just 22 points in the period. The shorthanded Jazz were led by Jordan Clarkson, who finished with 38 points, and got key contributions from Walker Kessler and Talen Horton-Tucker, who combined for 35 points.