The Philadelphia 76ers are home for the second night in a row to host the Utah Jazz after a disastrous 40-point loss to the Spurs on Tuesday night. The Jazz arrive having lost six straight games, with their last victory happening all the way back on Feb. 11 over the Kings.
Who: Utah Jazz (18-43) at Philadelphia 76ers (33-28)
When: 7:30 p.m. EST
Where: XFinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, Pa.
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia
There is no easier way to say it, but without Joel Embiid, the Sixers are a struggling basketball team. They had some early-season success, making it look like the struggles without Embiid were over, but it's been a completely different story for a while now. Without their center and best player, the team was steamrolled by one of the hottest squads in the league on Tuesday.
For all of the talent and energy that Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe provide, the other members of the team just aren't good enough to contribute on a nightly basis to the point that it would equal wins. While fans clamored for Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker to get their full-time deals, there's a reason players like that were able to be signed to two-way deals.
For tonight's game against a blatant and obvious tanking team like the Jazz, the team will be missing Edgecombe, Kelly Oubre Jr., Embiid, and Paul George. Tyrese Maxey will be on an island to himself and expected to help the team get past one of the league's worst teams.
Utah's biggest star, Lauri Markkanen, will once again be a spectator instead of a player, but the team doesn't seem in too much of a hurry as they're gaining ground in the reverse standings for a top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. The Jazz have already been fined for sitting players in a game against the Magic earlier, and they're making no real attempt to hide what they're doing this season. Markkanen had an MRI that revealed symptomatic hip impingement with associated inflammation and bone bruise. Try to figure out what that means other than it'll get the NBA out of their pockets.
In addition, Jaren Jackson Jr., Walker Kessler, Jusuf Nurkic, and Vince Williams Jr. are all out for the game as well. This will leave Keyonte George, Brice Sensabaugh, Ace Bailey, and Isaiah Collier to handle the workload against the Sixers. Not the most imposing lineup, and the Jazz couldn't care less.
Tyrese Maxey will not quit, and it's one of the most endearing traits the young man possesses. He will be out there, all night, trying his hardest to will the team that he's been given to a victory. Despite them playing the tanking Jazz, they'll still have their hands full. There has to be some improvement after whatever you want to call Tuesday night's game.
The real key is, with all the injuries they have to critical players, whether Barlow, Quentin Grimes, Adem Bona, and the rest can step up, play well, and gain some confidence against a Utah team that won't be very good. Tonight's game is a huge learning experience for some of the players, and tonight will be very telling about how the rest of this season could play out.
Jazz 109 - Sixers 98
