Snaps to the Sixers for nearly losing Tank Super Bowl II last night against a team that started Ivica Zubac and David Nwaba. It came down to the final minute, with the Sixers and Lakers (and more specifically, Dario Saric and Jordan Clarkson) trading off buckets and leads -- before the Lakers blew a critical possession with half a minute left, thanks to D'Angelo Russell not knowing the shot clock coming out of a timeout. There's no shame in getting beaten by the worst, truly.
At least this win saw another career night for Our Friend Dario, who posted a 29-7-5 and brushed off a late second-half slump to make a bunch of crucial plays down the stretch. If we have to still win games at this point in the season, it may as well come on the backs of our best young players, and seeing Dario averaging 20-7-4 so far in March (on his best shooting numbers yet this season) bodes pretty well for his and the team's future. It was also a great night for Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, with TLC putting up 18-3-3 in his third-ever career start, his rookie season highs in points and assists. Having just about anything to still feel good about this late in the season is a pretty novel concept for Process Trusters, really.
And for what it's worth, the Lakers locking into that No. 2 draft slot might not be the worst thing for the Sixers anyway. Even at No. 2, there's still about a 44% that the Lakers pick falls outside the top-three on lottery night -- essentially a coin flip -- and as the venerable Derek Bodner detailed in his recent newsletter (a must-subscribe for all Sixers fans), the Lakers actually have a better shot at the No. 4 overall pick coming from the No. 2 draft slot than they do from No. 3.
What's more, even if it doesn't transmit this year -- what about this Lakers team you saw last night gives you any faith they'll make a huge leap next season? Their young guys still seem far from ready, their veteran investments are practically sunk costs, and their 20-win record isn't likely to entice noteworthy free agents in the off-season. They'll need some serious Magic magic this summer to find themselves outside the league's bottom five in 2018, and I wouldn't be particularly optimistic. There's still a lot of ways for the Sixers to triumph with this pick, and considering its only cost was a player currently scrapping for backup minutes on one of the league's most depressing teams, it's unlikely to cause the Sixers much regret regardless.
You always want to win the big game -- and in this case by win I mean lose -- but the Sixers still find some positives to take home from last night's quasi-accidental W. What's the opposite of a moral victory?