(AP)

MIAMI -- Tony Wroten accepts that he has a way of pairing highlight-reel assists with clunker passes that end up in the front row. It’s something Wroten said he’s worked with 76ers coach Brett Brown to curb.

“You pick your spots. Coach always tells me it’s a gift that not a lot of people in this league have,” Wroten said. “I just have to pick my spots and not always go for the home run and just try to get some singles – in baseball terms. That’s what he always says. This season, I learned a lot. I don’t try to make the home runs as much. I try to make the right play.”

Outside of his mistake-prone play – he averages 2.8 turnovers per game – Wroten has impressed in his first season with the Sixers.

Monday against Boston, Wroten had 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting. His seven turnovers nullified the four assists he turned in. Brown seems to think “a high number” of Wroten’s turnovers stem from the pace with which the 20-year-old plays.

Wroten said he’s gotten better at controlling his instinct to make the ‘go for it’ pass that will end up on ESPN’s SportsCenter, though the turnover totals might not reflect that alteration to his game. He said pulling back on that urge was difficult.

“In the beginning, obviously it was,” said Wroten, who’s under contract through next season. “That’s what I’ve been doing all my life. That’s what this process was.”

The Sixers (18-63) had Tuesday free from practice as they traveled to Miami, where they'll finish the regular season with Wednesday's game against the Heat.

(AP)

The 76ers’ Tony Wroten will not travel with the team for a three-game roadtrip that begins Saturday in Chicago, said coach Brett Brown.

The sixth man-turned-spot starter went down with a right ankle sprain midway through the fourth quarter. X-rays on his ankle came back negative, according to a team rep. He was navigating the locker room on crutches.

While driving the lane with 6:01 remaining, Wroten stepped on the foot of New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert and crumpled. Wroten remained on the floor, grabbing at his right foot while teammates surrounded him. The second-year guard did not return to the game.

“It was a big sprain. Just got to take it one day at a time, really,” said Wroten, who had 12 points and four assists. “It’s a high ankle sprain. Tough to put weight on it.”

The roadtrip starts Saturday at Chicago and also includes games Monday at San Antonio and Wednesday at Houston. It’s not entirely inconceivable that the 20-year-old Wroten could join his teammates somewhere along the way.

Winning with Wroten was difficult enough. Winning without him will be a challenge. The Sixers (15-54) have lost 23 in a row, and are three wins shy of matching the league’s record for the longest losing streak.

Wroten was asked if you can ever get used to losing.

“Hell no,” he said. “I’m never used to losing. I speak for the team. We’re never used to losing. There’s no such thing as getting used to losing. I never come into a game talking about, ‘I hope we lose. Let’s just play.’ No. We come into the game, every game, trying to win. Just speaking for myself, no matter how many times we lose, no matter how many times we lose in a row, you can never get used to losing. I’m pretty sure my teammates would agree. I’m not worried about no (number of) losses in a row. It happens. About the NBA, there’s a game the next day.”

(AP)

The 76ers have made history.

With Saturday’s 103-77 loss to Memphis, the Sixers have dropped 20 consecutive games, equaling a franchise record. They’ve also set the record for most home losses in a row, a span that hit 16 against the Grizzlies. And they’re only six losses shy of tying the NBA’s worst losing streak, a 26-gamer posted by Cleveland in 2010-11.

“Everybody’s aware of all these records people talk about,” Sixers coach Brett Brown said. “This is just another side of learning.”

Brown is hoping to ward off a slip in morale amongst his players, as they hit the road for four of their next six games. The first-year coach said morale remains intact, but within a group of players primarily in their teens and early 20s?

The realistic goal, according to Sixers rookie Michael Carter-Williams, is “just to win ball games.”

“It’s all we can do at this point,” he said. “It’s what we’re playing for. Any time we step on the court, we’re just trying to win. We’re not playing to make the playoffs. We’re not a championship team. We’re just trying to get better each and every game. We’re a young team. We’re just going out there and competing for a win.”

Focusing on the losing streak won’t help matters, Tony Wroten said.

“We’re not worried about it. We’re trying to win every game we play,” said Wroten, who had 13 points against Memphis. “Every time we step on the floor we’re trying to win. … It’s the NBA. You play another day.”

The Sixers (15-51), who haven’t won since Jan. 29, next play Monday at Indiana.

(Associated Press)

Tony Wroten is out of sorts, but he’s not blaming his sprained right ankle.

The 76ers’ sixth man had another rough outing Friday night, in a 125-99 loss to Atlanta. Wroten went 1-for-13 from the floor, including 0-for-4 from 3-point range, with six points, three assists and two turnovers.

“It’s not 100 percent,” Wroten said of his bad ankle, “but that has nothing to do with the way I play.”

Wroten missed three games this month due to a right ankle sprain he picked up Jan. 18 at Chicago. Since his return last week, he’s played poorly in four straight games: 8-for-33 overall, including 0-for-9 from long range, with averages of 5.8 points, 1.2 assists and 2.0 turnovers per game.

“Just part of the game. You go through strings like this,” he said.

Coach Brett Brown, without singling out individuals, said the Sixers need to play more completely. He said too often the Sixers attempt to shoot their way back into close games, rather than defend, make stops and force turnovers.

Wroten’s game has not lent itself to much at the defensive end. Even still, Brown said he can find fault in the second-year guard’s offensive game.

“I speak to Tony often. We challenge him directly on the importance of being a point guard,” Brown said. “We know he can get to the rim, but you have to grow to make other people better. When is the crowd not your friend? You have to kick it, because he has that skill of getting to the rim. We challenge him always. You’re more than just an attack guy at the rim. You have to grow to be more than that.

“When he isn’t finishing, he gets deflated. There’s a sadness, at times, that he has to get over. I have to help him. He’s 20 years old. You’ve got to kick him in the tail and get him up. Life’s not that bad. And get him moving, let’s go.”

The Sixers (15-32) visit Detroit (18-27) Saturday.

(Associated Press)

BOSTON – Michael Carter-Williams can add another accomplishment to his ever-expanding resume. 

Wednesday, Carter-Williams was named to the roster for the league’s Rising Star Challenge, a rookie-sophomore showcase game that will be played Feb. 14 of All-Star weekend in New Orleans.

The 76ers’ point guard is one of nine rookies on the roster of first-year players. As for the nine second-year players chosen, Sixers guard did not make the cut.

Tony Wroten

Carter-Williams entered Wednesday averaging 17.4 points, 6.7 assists, 5.6 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game. If he maintains those numbers, he’d join Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson and Steve Francis as the league’s fourth rookie to average those numbers.

“I think his numbers confirm he’s special,” Sixers coach Brett Brown said.

Only 45 games into his pro career, Carter-Williams has achieved plenty. He was the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the first week of the regular season. He was the East’s Rookie of the Month in November. And he’s leading all rookies in scoring, rebounds and assists.

Now comes the challenge of juggling a weekend of rest versus invaluable experience. Carter-Williams, who averages 35 minutes per game, would have had six days between games over All-Star break. Instead, he will be in New Orleans for a weekend of league-wide festivities.

“It’s a Mardi Gras. It’s a circus. It’s no time for rest,” Brown said, “and Michael won’t experience any rest. I wish he could. But on the flipside, I’m proud of him and I want him to enjoy this experience.”

Evan Turner played in the Rising Stars Challenge in 2012, though rest wasn’t a premium for him. Back then, he was averaging 26 minutes per game.

“You’ve got to think, man. I had nothing but rest. I was part-time,” Turner said. “I took full advantage of playing freely (in the Rising Stars game). I needed that. I would’ve played three more games if they would’ve let me.

“But you want to experience that. You’re young. It gets you excited and intrigued to experience something like that. Then you have a (Kevin Garnett) in that, and after the 13^th All-Star Game, it gets a little tiring. MCW will be fine. I’m sad Tony couldn’t make it, but (Carter-Williams) will represent well.”

Speaking of Wroten, the Sixers’ sixth man felt let out when he learned he didn’t make the cut.

“Politics. I know I should’ve made it. It is what it is, you know? Just adds fuel to the fire.”

Wroten is averaging 12.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists through 38 games.

“Check the stats, man. I definitely should’ve played in it,” Wroten said. “Nothing against the people who made it. Congrats to everybody who did make it. I definitely got snubbed, but (it’s) just motivation.”