76ers' P.J. Tucker shares brutally honest opinion on team's leaky defense

The Philadelphia 76ers came from behind to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies, 110-105, on Thursday night, but starting forward P.J. Tucker wasn't pleased. 

Following the victory, Tucker sounded off on the Sixers' defense, or lack thereof, with a straightforward statement. When asked by reporters about the team's effort on the defensive end of the floor, Tucker responded, "still pretty s-----." 

Four Grizzlies finished in double-figures on Thursday night, including Desmond Bane (25), Jaren Jackson Jr. (18), Ja Morant (15), and Dillon Brooks (11). Opponents have scored 100 points or more on the Sixers 49 times this season, with 18 of those teams posting more than the NBA average of 114 points per game. Over their last five games, the Sixers are giving up, on average, 113.2 points. 

Philadelphia gave up 37 first-quarter points to Memphis and trailed by 12 at halftime, 59-47. If not for a furious comeback in the fourth quarter, which saw the Sixers outscore the Grizzlies 35-24, their modest four-game win streak would've come to a halt. Thankfully for Philly, they have Joel Embiid and James Harden. Harden led the way with 31 points, grabbing seven boards while dishing out seven assists. Meanwhile, Embiid took over, finishing with 27 points, 19 rebounds, six assists and six blocks in the win. 

The Sixers move to 39-19, good enough for third place in the Eastern Conference behind the Milwaukee Bucks (41-17) and NBA-leading Boston Celtics (43-17). However, if they hope to overtake the Bucks or possibly catch the Celtics, the Sixers must turn around their recent defensive woes. They will get a golden opportunity to prove they can with several tough matchups ahead against the aforementioned Celtics and Bucks, along with upcoming dates against the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks.