Fitch Has ‘No Excuse’ as Clippers Lose to 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers are going nowhere.

The NBA’s third-worst team is headed for the NBA draft lottery for the sixth consecutive season.

But the 76ers made the Clippers look like a lottery team Thursday night, handing them their third loss in four games, 101-84, before 10,989 at the CoreStates Center.

“There are no excuses; we got it handed to us tonight,” Clipper Coach Bill Fitch said after his team extended its road losing streak to six games.

The 76ers, who had lost their first five games after the All-Star break, embarrassed the Clippers with a 15-0 third-quarter run. Los Angeles, which trailed by a point at halftime, was outscored, 53-37, in the second half.

“Right before the half was the beginning of the end for us tonight,” Fitch said. “We let our poor offense affect our defense and we turned the ball over, which gave them new life. We let them get their confidence back.”

With the media calling for his ouster because he can’t interest his team in playing defense, first-year 76er Coach Johnny Davis, a former Clipper assistant, finally got his team to do so.

“Most fans are impatient,” Davis said. “They want something to happen overnight and it just won’t happen overnight.

“You have to play defense in this league. That’s the way to getting back to being successful. Guys shoot the ball too well to try to come out and exchange baskets with them.”

The 76ers (13-39), who went into the game ranked as the NBA’s second-worst defensive team, held the Clippers to 35.2% shooting. After shooting 50% in the first quarter en route to a 10-point lead, the Clippers shot 30.9% in the next three quarters.

“They should have stopped the game after the first quarter,” said guard Malik Sealy, who missed 12 of 15 shots. “I got some good looks, I just couldn’t get them to go in the hole.”

Forward Loy Vaught missed 14 of 18 shots, forward Rodney Rogers missed 10 of 15 shots and reserve forward Lamond Murray missed four of five shots.

“I think we stepped up our defense a little,” said 76er rookie guard Allen Iverson, who had 24 points and 13 assists. “We’ve got a lot of offensive-minded players, but we have to start to take the mind-set that if we are able to get into the passing lanes and get steals, then we can create easy opportunities for ourselves and we won’t have to work as hard on the offensive end.”

The Clippers (21-28) have been flat since the All-Star break, losing three of five games. And their two wins came against two of the NBA’s worst teams, the Dallas Mavericks and the Boston Celtics.

“I definitely feel lucky that we won the games we did,” Fitch said. “We’re not a great basketball team and we have to play at about 100% efficiency every night and we’re not doing it.”

The Clippers, who have been outrebounded in four of their last five games, allowed the 76ers a 57-41 rebounding edge.

“We still have a chance to make it a decent season, but it’s going to take some work,” Sealy said.

Forward Derrick Coleman, who played for Fitch with the New Jersey Nets, had 21 points and tied his season high with 20 rebounds as the 76ers defeated the Clippers for the 22nd time in the last 24 games here.

“Derrick Coleman is capable of doing things like that every night,” Fitch said. “He’s a terrific talent and can take over a game just like he did tonight.”