On Monday night in Philadelphia, basketball fans will be treated to a student versus teacher battle as James Harden and the Los Angeles Clippers come to town to take on the Tyrese Maxey-led Philadelphia 76ers. While Harden wasn't in Philly that long, the lessons he taught Maxey have paid huge dividends for the young guard over the past two years, and this year may be the finest example of it all.
Who: Los Angeles Clippers (4-9) at Philadelphia 76ers (7-5)
When: 7:00 p.m. EST
Where: XFinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, Pa.
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBA League Pass, FanDuel Sports Network SoCal
The Sixers have to get some things figured out, and they have to do it quickly. Their four wins to start the season started to give fans hope that the team had really changed, and the optimism had sprung back in full force. Looking closer, though, you'll see a team that barely beat some of the bottom teams in the league and has gone just 3-5 since.
The excitement of the first few games has worn off as the team hasn't been able to defeat teams like the Pistons and Cavaliers, who are at the top of the Eastern Conference. The most recent loss to Detroit saw the Pistons missing their top players, and they still beat the Sixers by nine points. While the Sixers were missing some of their better players, they still should've been able to put that Pistons squad down.
With Adem Bona and Kelly Oubre Jr. both sidelined for a while due to injuries, the question marks surrounding the availability of Paul George and Joel Embiid, and the high minutes players like Maxey and VJ Edgecombe are logging, the team suddenly has a lot more questions than answers.
The Clippers arrive in Philly on the heels of a 121-118 loss to the Celtics on Sunday in Boston. Despite the recent play of James Harden, this version of the Clippers won't be making much noise this season. Huge surprise for the team, Kawhi Leonard has missed games with a foot and ankle injury, which is rare for the rarely seen superstar.
Harden, at age 36, is having himself a great start to the year, averaging 26 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 9.0 assists per game while shooting just under 40% on his three-point attempts. Coming into Philadelphia, Harden may have a little extra motivation to show the fans in the city what he's still capable of doing on a nightly basis.
The return of Harden to face Maxey, who's nearing the height of his powers and utilizing all that Harden has taught him, will be a great matchup. The Sixers, on paper, have the much better team, and despite not having Embiid, Bona, or Oubre Jr., they should still have enough to take down the Clippers.
If Jared McCain can get into a rotation with the other big three guards the team has, tonight could be the night to see how that works out. Head Coach Nick Nurse has to figure out the best way to utilize the talent he has in the backcourt. Limited minutes for McCain, but being on the floor with Maxey and Edgecombe would help open him up for some shots and help him regain his confidence.
While it's not a massive battle with the Clippers being as poor as they are this season, the Sixers should use this game to work on the areas that have been failing them lately, particularly limiting turnovers, improving ball movement, and increasing their team's three-point shooting percentage. Despite still being sixth in the league, the Sixers have fallen back closer to 38% from beyond the arc, whereas they started the season over 42%. It is the perfect game for McCain and, equally, Quentin Grimes to take advantage of the matchups they'll see.
Sixers 123 - Clippers 107
