Sixers fall to Kings despite Jimmy Butler, Joel Embiid, and Ben Simmons' strong efforts

SACRAMENTO – No Wilson Chandler or JJ Redick equaled no victory for the 76ers.

Even though their three stars played valiantly, the absence of the team’s two least heralded starters was hard to overcome. On this night, no one outside of Jimmy Butler matched Redick’s sharpshooting. Nor did the Sixers have anyone replicate the things Chandler does as a glue guy.

As a result, the Sacramento Kings were able to escape with a 115-108 victory Saturday night at the Golden 1 Center.

The Sixers (34-19) had very little contribution outside of their three stars in Butler, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. The trio combined to score 80 of Philly’s 108 points.

Putting the Sixers on his back, Butler scored 18 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter. He made 4 of 8 three-point attempts in the fourth after not attempting a three in the first three quarters. Embiid added 29 points and game highs of 17 rebounds and four blocks for his 43rd double-double of the season. Simmons had 22 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists.

Butler converted a four-point play to give the Sixers a 98-97 lead with 4 minutes, 30 seconds left. The teams exchanged the lead on the next seven possessions. But the Kings had an 111-106 lead after Marvin Bagley’s putback with 59.9 seconds left. After Butler answered with a three-pointer, WIllie Cauley-Stein made a foul shot. Then Buddy Hield scored the next three points from the foul line to make it 115-108 with 21 seconds left.

The Sixers finished their four-game West Coast road trip against the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors and Kings (27-25) with a 2-2 record. Their other loss was 126-110 decision to the Nuggets on Jan. 26. The Sixers were also undermanned in that contest, as Embiid (rest), Butler (sprained right wrist) and Chandler (left hamstring tightness) were sidelined.

On Saturday, Redick and Chandler “were completely missed,” coach Brett Brown said. “We saw how much we missed others in Denver. It’s part of the growth in our team. We are trying to acquire more depth” by the trade deadline or in the buyout market.

The Sixers announced Saturday morning that Chandler will be sidelined two to three weeks with a right quadriceps strain. As a result, he’ll continue to be sidelined for the remaining five games heading into the All-Star Break.

Redick missed the game as part of a scheduled rest day for the 34-year-old. Rookie guard Landry Shamet started in his place, while Mike Muscala got the starting nod at power forward.

The two struggled from the field, combining to shoot 4-for-14 from the field. Muscala had three points on 1-for-7 shooting, while Shamet had eight on 3-for-7 shooting.

But they weren’t the only Sixers who struggled to make shots. The Sixers not named Butler combined to made just 3 of 25 three-pointers.

Hield had a game-high 34 points.

“Nobody cares that we are undermanned,” Butler said of missing Redick and Chandler. “You don’t feel bad for us, right? Nobody cares that we are undermanned. We are still expected to go out there and compete and win games.”

But he later acknowledged they were missed.

The team definitely missed Redick’s shooting, and Chandler’s intangibles. He spaces the floor on offense and gets defensive stops.

This was a good bounce-back game for Butler. He had as many points in the first quarter (seven) as he had in Thursday’s victory over the Golden State Warriors.

Corey Brewer finished with four points in what could have been his final game in a Sixers uniform. Sunday will the final day of his second 10-day contract with the Sixers. They must sign him for the remainder of the season or release him.

“You know, we really like what we’ve seen from him, on and off the court,” general manager Elton Brand said. “Another to-be-determined decision, because he’s been great and he’s definitely worthy of being in the NBA. He showed that.”

While they like Brewer, the Sixers want to see what options are out there via a trade or possibly signing a player who get his contract bought out.

The Sixers could decide to wait before making a decision to sign the swingman. However, that would run the risk of him signing with another team.