Game two of the Philadelphia 76ers five-game road trip has the team visiting the Golden State Warriors for their third game in four days. The Sixers, between travel and games, won't see much rest on this trip after beating the Clippers 128-113 last night. The Warriors will be well-rested, having last played on Friday, when the Pistons handed them a 131-124 home loss.
Who: Philadelphia 76ers (28-21) at Golden State Warriors (27-23)
When: 10:00 p.m. EST
Where: Chase Center, San Francisco, Ca.
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBA League Pass, NBC Sports Bay Area
Having played last night in the win over the Clippers, center Joel Embiid is expected to miss tonight's game against the Warriors. Though he has been nothing short of stellar over the past month, Embiid consistently misses one end of back-to-back games as a part of his load management plan. Based on his resurgence this season and his impact on the team, it's tough to argue with the results.
The Sixers should still have enough weapons with Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Jared McCain, Dominick Barlow, and Kelly Oubre Jr., all expected to play. Barlow went nuts in Los Angeles, scoring 26 points and grabbing 16 rebounds, and will be looking to keep up this level of play. While the concern about the Paul George suspension is legitimate, Barlow's performance this season has at least alleviated some of the worry.
One thing Nick Nurse will have to figure out is that Jared McCain, who had a good stretch in four of his last five games, has been shooting well and looking more confident lately. Unfortunately, despite his recent success, Nurse gave the bulk of the minutes against the Clippers to Quentin Grimes. While Grimes had a good game, probably his best in a month, having McCain back to full strength and not using him is a problem for a team that was excited with the backcourt rotation to start the year.
The Warriors are in something of a bind: they're just good enough to make the playoffs, currently eighth in the Western Conference, but not good enough to make a serious run at another title. Partly, it's been age and poor roster construction, while injuries have started to take their toll on the team.
Jimmy Butler is out with a torn ACL, while Jonathan Kuminga and the Curry brothers are also missing for tonight's game. Steph Curry is dealing with a right knee "issue" that is listed as a right patellofemoral pain syndrome. Say that three times fast. Kuminga is out with a "bone bruise" amidst ongoing trade talks—that likely can't be over soon enough for both sides.
The team is left, for tonight, with the likes of Brandin Podziemski, De'Anthony Melton, Moses Moody, and Buddy Hield to get them through a tough Sixers team. The team will have Draymond Green, but nowhere near the player he once was, and was never the focal point of a winning team. Count on Green for his usual eight points and six rebounds.
With Embiid, Paul George, Butler, and Curry all missing tonight's game, the Sixers will have Maxey and VJ Edgecombe on the court to showcase their skills. It should be a shootout, as both teams like to launch from long range, but this could be a Maxey 40-point game, as the Warriors won't have any real answer for handling him.
The only real issue will be whether the Sixers' head coach will space out the time on the floor, given the team has played and traveled with three more games to go after this one. Nurse will have to manage his players efficiently amid the hectic schedule the NBA has thrown at them this week.
Sixers 115 - Warriors 112
