Walker, Grimes drop 25 apiece as Sixers win tank-off over Jazz

In a game where both teams would’ve preferred to improve their lottery odds, the Sixers simply had more NBA talent on the floor than the lowly Jazz.

Back in my day, a game like this would have initiated the intervention of one, if not two Colangelos.

The Sixers snapped their three-game losing streak when they took down the Utah Jazz 126-122 Sunday night.

Quentin Grimes and Lonnie Walker IV led Philadelphia with 25 apiece. Grimes finished with six assists and two steals while Walker grabbed 11 rebounds.

Walker and Adem Bona each had their first career double-doubles. Bona finished with 14 rebounds, 14 points and five blocks in 31 minutes of action.

Keyonte George and Kyle Filipowski led Utah, also finishing with 25.

Tyrese Maxey and Paul George remained out while four regulars were out for the Jazz.

Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.

First Quarter

• Plenty of Andre Drummond to start as he got himself on the board putting back his own misses. He tried to keep his hot three-point shooting going but missed his first open three from the top of the key. Justin Edwards once again started aggressive with five quick points.
• That was hardly enough to keep pace with a 10-of-13 start for the Jazz, led by Kyle Filipowski who made his first four shots of the night. Even this depleted roster is able to pick the Sixers apart with a stretch big.
• Nick Nurse made good on his word to give more bench guys some run. Not only did Adem Bona and Jared Butler check into the game early, but Alex Reese saw some minutes in the quarter as well (it might have been the only reason Ricky Council IV was in the game as well). Bona sprung up for a nice block, though it took a challenge to overturn from a goaltend. Reese converted a dump off and took a charge. The Sixers trailed by five after one.

Second Quarter

• Turns out the injection of youth did wonders for the defense — they held the Jazz scoreless for a three–minute stretch spanning quarters to go on a 15-0 run. Then it was Jeff Dowtin Jr. providing a three-point burst — he made four of his first five shots.
• Grimes’ return to the game kept the offense rolling. He found a wide open Bona off a roll then followed it up by knocking down a three off the catch. After a couple of slow minutes he picked it back up with a quick twitch to get down for a baseline dunk.

• Who else but KJ Martin to lead the charge back for Utah. His slashing led to six points, and he knocked down a corner three as well. Grimes continued to cook on the other end though, and the Sixers took seven-point lead into the break.

Third Quarter

• Drummond wasn’t out there to start the second half — he came into the day questionable after missing practice the day before with an illness. Despite the large matchup, it was Walker who opened the half in his place. He opened it up with some fancy layups, and got another three to fall.

• The Jazz started the quarter getting to the rim fairly easily against the small-ball lineup, but they once again tailed off. The worst team in the league in turnover rate, they once again weren’t taking care of the ball — they gave it away five times early in the quarter.
• Walker continued to hunt his shot with confidence as he finished with 16 in the quarter. Butler stayed hot with a pair of threes of his own. The backcourt of Bona and Reese kept on swatting shots away as well. Reese attempted a poster in transition but Martin was having none of that. The Sixers’ lead swelled to 18 after the third.

Fourth Quarter

• Council seemed to play with more comfort as the game had worn on. He knocked down a couple threes at the end of the previous quarter, and opened up this one with a pair of nice dump-offs down to Bona.

• It seemed the Sixers’ jumpers had dried up. After the hot start from Bona they went scoreless for nearly four minutes. Utah took advantage to go on a 16-0 run to make the game competitive again. The only starters still in the game for the Sixers at this point were Grimes and Edwards.
• As it had been all night, unforced errors ended being the nail in the coffin for the Jazz — they finished with 17 turnovers. The Jazz kept hitting threes to make a late push, but the Sixers were able to win the math battle by making their free throws. Despite the late efforts this was always going to be a hard game to tank, especially with how many guys the Jazz were missing.
• March only gets busier. The Sixers are back at it Monday night as they head down to take on the Atlanta Hawks at 7:30 p.m. ET.