Maybe this is the best of both worlds.

On Monday night in Houston, a makeshift collection of Sixers brought everything it had against a very good Rockets team in the midst of a surge in the standings. They dominated for the first 28 minutes or so, building a 25-point lead with a stunning, dynamic offensive attack which puzzled the Rockets. But it always felt like an inevitability that Houston would storm back, and so it did, erasing the massive deficit in the second half, forcing overtime in the final seconds and eventually escaping with a 144-137 over the Sixers.

The group of Sixers fighting for future minutes and jobs showed signs of promise. Quentin Grimes predictably led the way, dominating for much of the contest as he posted his fifth 30-plus-point game as a Sixer, his second 40-plus-point game and fifth straight showing with at least 25 points, ultimately landing on a career-high 46 big ones. Ultimately, though, the result of the game benefits the organization in its attempted safeguarding of its top-six protected first-round pick. Here is what stood out from Monday’s action and news:

Sixers blitz Rockets early with three-point barrage

The first quarter of this game was absolutely stunning. The Sixers went to battle with nine players on Monday; only one of those nine, Ricky Council IV, was on the team’s standard NBA roster at the start of the season. Two of the players, Chuma Okeke and starting center Oshae Brissett, were not on the Sixers a week ago. Another, Jalen Hood-Schifino, had never been active for a game with the Sixers as of a week ago.

And yet, against a Houston Rockets team riding a six-game winning streak and tied for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, the Sixers scored 44 points in a dominant opening frame which netted the team a 16-point lead after just a dozen minutes. They did it thanks to red-hot three-point shooting, knocking down nine of their 14 long-range tries. This torrid stretch was capped off by Brissett, who reached double-digits points with a buzzer-beating triple after checking into the game for defensive purposes:

Grimes set the tone with a dozen early points, but the two best points in that stretch came when he ended up converting a put-back layup on his own missed three-point try. Rockets head coach Ime Udoka could not have been happy watching this:

Immediately after this, Justin Edwards capped off one of his best stints in weeks with a poster over Jabari Smith Jr., a powerful left-handed slam:

Edwards was extremely aggressive and decisive with the ball in his hands from the outset in Houston, the exact mentality he needs to have during these games without many of his higher-usage teammates. Edwards also showed some very intriguing flashes as a passer in this one, making excellent reads passing off of live dribbles. Now is the perfect time for the hometown kid to experiment.

Newcomer Jalen Hood-Schifino added a pair of early threes after his stellar performance in the Sixers’ win over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday afternoon, while Jared Butler dished out four assists in the opening frame (Butler went on to post his highest scoring total as a member of the Sixers). There was a whole lot of good from the Sixers early on Monday night, enabling them to grow a significant lead against a very good Rockets team.

Paul George ruled out for season after receiving multiple injections

There will be much more in the coming days on George’s disappointing debut campaign with the Sixers coming to an end, but with the news becoming official soon before Monday’s game, it is worth hitting on a bit right now as conversations begin about the totality of George’s season and what comes next for the nine-time All-Star and the Sixers.

George, who will turn 35 years old in about six weeks, never looked close to a star-level player across his 41-game sample with the Sixers this season. This does not mean he was not a good player; George’s defense was strong and he was helpful on the glass while also providing some secondary creation and occasional scoring. But the scoring volume was just not close to high enough to justify the investment the Sixers made in George last summer: a four-year, $211 million contract. Looking at the remaining money on George’s deal is ominous:

Paul George turns 35 years old in May. His remaining contract:2025-26: $51,666,0902026-27: $54,126,3802027-28: $56,586,670 (player option).

Total: three years, $162,379,140

— Adam Aaronson (@SixersAdam) March 17, 2025

George dealt with difficult circumstances all season, from two bone bruises in the same knee in a short period of time to a bizarre yet bothersome finger injury to all of the chaos that has followed the organization all season long. But the fact of the matter is George looks considerably less explosive as an off-the-dribble threat than he ever has before, and it had a tangible impact.

George averaged at least 21.5 points per game in every full season for a span of over a decade; this season that number dropped to 16.2 points per game. George’s free throw attempts per game were the lowest they have been since his rookie season in 2010-11. There are ways to explain certain instances of George’s struggles, but none which illustrate anything other than a player who is experiencing a significant athletic decline which will cap his offensive upside moving forward.

Odds and ends

A pair of additional notes from Monday’s action:

• Two-way point guard Jeff Dowtin Jr. stayed hot early in this one, knocking down three triples in his first nine minutes. Dowtin entered Monday’s contest riding the best three-game stretch of his NBA career by far, a period in which he has recorded a career-high in points on two separate occasions.

Dowtin has five games remaining on his two-way deal. He would need to have his contract converted to a standard NBA deal in order to suit up for the Sixers again after he completes those five games.

• Fellow two-way player Alex Reese was coveted by the Sixers because of his outstanding three-point shooting marks in the G League this season, but Reese had done just about everything well but shooting since joining the team. Reese broke out of that slump with two triples in the second quarter.

“It takes a lot of work,” Reese told PhillyVoice last week when asked about his transformation from an average three-point shooter in college to an outstanding sniper in the G League.

Up next: The Sixers’ six-game road trip will continue on Wednesday night with its toughest leg: a battle against the juggernaut Oklahoma City Thunder. Oklahoma City has only lost one game against Eastern Conference competition all season long.

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