Dowtin leads the way, McCain shows off on-ball skills, Edwards gets going as Sixers lose at buzzer to Grizzlies

Right back at it, the summer Sixers lost to the Memphis Grizzlies 87-85 on a buzzer-beater Tuesday night. Anyone looking to see the big names of summer league in this one were disappointed, as the two-time Naismith Player of the Year Zach Edey did not suit up for Memphis. Both of the Grizzlies’ “big leaguers” in GG Jackson and Jack LaRavia sat out tonight as well.

Jeff Dowtin, Jr. led the Sixers with 18 points and six assists, shooting 5-of-8 from the field and 3-of-4 from three. Jared McCain had 12 points, shooting 3-of-10 from the floor. He shook himself free for a three that would have given the Sixers the lead, but it just bounced off the rim.

Ricky Council IV wasn’t quite able to follow up his 29-point performance. He shot just 2-of-9 from the floor, finishing with seven points, four rebounds, three assists and three turnovers.

Justin Edwards shot it well, finishing with 14 points.

Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.

McCain had a bit of an inverse of last night. He knocked down his first pair of threes but then struggled a bit inside the arc for the rest of the first half. He ended it on a nice note with a slick dump off pass to a rolling Keve Aluma.

While McCain had a couple nice drives in the second half, the Sixers weren’t getting much on offense for most of the night if it wasn’t coming from Dowtin. He was able to glide into his spots and knock down jumpers when the rest of the team was really struggling to create separation.

It looked like the Grizzlies’ defense loaded up on stopping Council, and he wasn’t quite ready for that. His three turnovers in the first half set the tone for the kind of night he would have driving the ball. He did hit his first three off the dribble in the fourth quarter again, but did not have another heater in him.

Edwards, currently occupying one of the Sixers’ two-way contracts, got himself on the board after a quiet night on Monday. He made his first three shots of the night and was a perfect 3-of-3 from beyond the arc.

Edwards has the size required to make it as an NBA player, but often is trying to play at a speed that makes him look out of control. It has been nice to see the minutes go to almost exclusively the youngest, newest guys to the team.

NBA veterans Tony Bradley and Romeo Langford have yet to see the floor. While RJ Hampton came off the bench Monday, he also did not play Tuesday.

Tonight, Bona’s stat sheet reflected how impactful he was at the rim. He rotated over for four blocks on the night.

His shortcomings on the glass however, and the team’s at large, were on display in the 27-6 edge the Grizzlies had in second-chance points. It wouldn’t be a Sixers game if they didn’t get crushed by offensive rebounds — they literally lost the game on a floater Memphis picked up and threw in off a missed shot.