The Philadelphia 76ers (16-11) are hosting the Brooklyn Nets (8-19) as they look to extend their winning streak to three games before taking off for Christmas. The Sixers are coming off big wins over the Knicks and Mavericks, while the Nets will be riding high after downing the Raptors on Sunday.
Who: Brooklyn Nets (8-19) at Philadelphia 76ers (16-11)
When: 7:00 pm EST
Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, Pa.
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBA League Pass, YES Network
The Sixers have been bitten by the flu bug of late, with Quentin Grimes, VJ Edgecombe, and Dominick Barlow all appearing on the injury report with an illness. Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid have already dealt with it, as it seems to affect the team each year at the same time. While the three are listed as questionable, there's a chance you could see one or all three in the lineup against the Nets. The bigger news is that Embiid is listed as probable, while Paul George and Jared McCain aren't listed at all.
The Sixers, especially in the past two games, have seen Maxey and Edgecombe develop into one of the top backcourt duos in the league. Over his last five games, Edgecombe has averaged 22.5 points while providing strong defense, quality shooting, and usually a few highlight moves. Maxey is currently third in the league in scoring at 31.7 points per game while also dishing out 7.1 assists per game, while averaging a league-high 39.8 minutes per game.
The team as a whole, despite the lineup rotating quite a bit due to injuries and player management, has come together quite well of late and is slowly creeping up towards the top ten in both defensive and offensive rankings. It's a testament to how the team is utilizing all of its players while continuing to improve. As the season moves forward, the Sixers look like they'll only keep getting better as they make a push for a high seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The Nets are coming into Philadelphia, riding high off a victory over the Raptors, 96-81, on Sunday. While the team has continued to miss Cam Thomas, they're being led by Michael Porter Jr., who's having a fantastic season in Brooklyn.
Porter Jr., in his first year in Brooklyn, is having the best season of his seven-year career. He's averaging 25.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game, which are all career highs, as he's been the unquestioned leader of the team so far.
While the Nets remain towards the bottom of both the conference and league standings, the team needs to see returns from any of their five first-round draft picks from this past year, other than Egor Demin. With the number of picks and the lack of a quality roster, the expectation was much higher for the young players, and the team hasn't seen much return from them.
A completely healthy Sixers roster would make this game a blowout. Still, with the illness the team is dealing with, they'll be missing some critical players and need key reserves like Adem Bona and Justin Edwards to step up against a Nets team that won't make it easy. Having Maxey, Embiid, and Paul George on the court together will be nice for the Sixers, but if Edgecombe and Grimes don't play, this could be a massive game for Jared McCain to show that he's back to what the team has expected since his breakout opening to last year.
Having Embiid back and healthy for the game means he'll be eating up the Nets' frontcourt and could have his first 40-point game of the season. Embiid has been working himself back into better basketball shape and making strides in his injury recovery, and tonight could be a big test against a team he averages close to 30 points per game against in his career.
While some players should see extended minutes, they're playing the Nets, so they shouldn't have too much trouble. McCain, Edwards, and Bona could use the minutes to improve what they've worked on lately, while allowing the Sixers' big three to take over.
Sixers 124 - Nets 107
