The Sixers got shellacked by the Utah Jazz on Thursday night, their second lopsided loss to the Jazz in the span of a little more than three weeks.
It was tough to take too much from the 120-85 loss back on November 16th because Joel Embiid and Matisse Thybulle weren't available for the Sixers, a duo which includes not just the core of their offensive identity in Embiid but also their two best defenders, a crucial consideration against a Utah Jazz team that owns the top-rated offense in the league and uses the pick-and-roll so effortlessly to create open looks on the perimeter.
There are caveats you can use to excuse away Thursday night's 118-96 loss as well, mostly that it was the first game back after a road heavy portion of the schedule that saw the Sixers play 10 of their last 12 away from the Wells Fargo Center, that they played in Charlotte last night and that Embiid was limited to just 30 minutes of play because of pain in his right abdomen, pain that he began experiencing during the first quarter of Thursday's game. All of which are fair, to some degree at least.
But beyond the outcome of one December game against a very good Utah Jazz team is the overriding feeling that this team ... just isn't all that relevant right now, in the grand scheme of things.
