3 Observations After McCain Misses Potential Game Winner, Summer Sixers Fall

3 Observations After McCain Misses Potential Game Winner, Summer Sixers Fall originally appeared in NBC Sports Philadelphia

The story of Jared McCain’s night didn’t change dramatically in the final seconds.

With the Sixers trailing by three points Monday against the Trail Blazers and with six seconds remaining, Jeff Dowtin Jr.’s Keve Aluma chased down the rebound and threw the ball to McCain, who made a game-winning three-point attempt.

The 97-95 loss left the Sixers at 1-1 in the Las Vegas Summer League. They will face the Timberwolves on Tuesday night at 8pm ET.

McCain had 11 points on 3-of-16 shooting, seven rebounds and three assists. Ricky Council IV scored 18 points. Dowtin had 17 points and eight assists.

Blazers guard Bryce McGowens made two late free throws to put Portland in the lead and scored 20 points.

Here are observations from the Sixers’ Monday night loss to the Blazers:

Still waiting for McCain to warm up

The Sixers committed three turnovers before getting a field goal and Portland took a 14-6 lead.

McCain hit a corner three-pointer on the Sixers’ first shot and made a deep jumper on the team’s second-to-last possession of the first quarter. Late in the second, the rookie guard broke free for a triple on a well-executed out-of-bounds play.

McCain also showed off some of his creative flair. He made a brilliant assist from behind for Adem Bona around 7-foot Blazers rookie Donovan Cligan.

Unfortunately, McCain became icy in the second half and at times seemed to doubt his instincts in the fourth quarter. He missed a floater, had a mid-range jumper blocked with 17 seconds left and was whistled for a five-second violation on an out-of-bounds play where throwing a pass to Bona seemed viable.

In five summer league games, McCain was 17-for-64 from the field (26.6 percent) and 6-for-26 (23.1 percent) from three-point range. It will surely increase the trend soon.

And as the Council can attest, it’s better to fight in July than during the actual NBA season. Obviously, McCain would love to experience sustained filming success sometime this summer.

Bona vs.

Players do not make mistakes in summer league unless they accumulate 10 personals. This rule allowed Bona to play the second half after being punished for six fouls in the first.

There’s nothing wrong with Bona’s aggression and willingness to land shots, but he should be able to lessen his fouls by leaning a little more toward stout defense and a little less toward chasing spectacular rejections. He was second in the nation in total fouls last season at UCLA.

Especially when Bona is in a backup role, the Sixers still shouldn’t mind him focusing on constant activity and zealous rim protection. He jumped high to block Cligan’s shot in the third quarter.

The seventh pick in this year’s draft soon threw down a massive dunk over Bona, but the Sixers’ rookie big man was ready for the challenge. He returned the favor with a spin around Clingan and an emphatic dunk of his own.

It was fun to watch Bona’s desire to fight fire with fire this summer. A completely offensive mentality may not be as effective in the NBA, but it would be completely normal if he maintained much of that attitude.

Several solid showings

Council got stuck in its now-customary summer league reverse swing.

He continues to create highlights and earn passes to the foul line (9-for-14 on his free throws on Monday). Council hit a jumper a few yards inside half court as the shot clock wound down.

The Sixers received some helpful input around the Council and Dowtin.

Judah Mintz (16 points on 5-of-7 shooting) gave the team some quality minutes off the bench and had his best game of the summer so far. During his first stint, Mintz got a steal at the top of the Sixers’ zone and hit a jumper and one. The former Syracuse point guard has a smooth mid-range game.

Justin Edwards attacked to a surprising rejection on Cligan when he posted against Tony Bradley. He scored 12 points and three rebounds as well.

Bradley recorded a team-high four offensive rebounds, which has always been one of his best areas. In 17 minutes, he also scored six points on 3-for-3 shooting and blocked two shots.