The Philadelphia 76ers are back in action on Saturday night as they welcome the New Orleans Pelicans to town. The Sixers are coming off a closer-than-expected win over the Kings, 113-111, on Thursday night, while the Pelicans beat the Memphis Grizzlies last night, 114-106, at home, before heading to the City of Brotherly Love.
Who: New Orleans Pelicans (13-37) at Philadelphia 76ers (26-21)
When: 7:30 p.m. EST
Where: XFinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, Pa.
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBA League Pass.
As the Sixers were starting to get completely healthy and coming together as a team, the NBA suspended Paul George this morning. While this is a hard pill for the team to swallow, players like Dominick Barlow, Kelly Oubre Jr., Trendon Watford, and Jabari Walker have all been working hard to help the team and should be ready to step into expanded roles.
Tyrese Maxey is coming off a 40-point game against the Kings, while Joel Embiid had 37 points of his own. VJ Edgecombe has been stellar throughout the year, providing quality play on both sides of the ball. Embiid's return to health and happiness has made a difference all season, and as he's increased his workload and playing time, the team has been learning to work with the former MVP while also enjoying one of the league's best big men, back in form.
Ahhh, the Pelicans, mired in mediocrity, questions, and scrutiny. Zion Williamson has appeared in 34 games for the team while averaging 22 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, exactly what the team was looking for when it drafted him first overall, nearly seven years ago.
The roster is filled with Trey Murphy III, Jordan Poole, Jeremiah Fears, and then there's Saddiq Bey, who seemed like they were on everyone's wishlist just two years ago, and is now averaging 16.1 points per game. There's also Derik Queen, the talented rookie center who's averaging 12.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game in just 26 minutes each night. Clearly some talent in NOLA, but there are too many holes for this team, which again could be looking to move some big pieces at the trade deadline and kick the can down the road on success for at least another few years.
Despite the absence of Paul George, the Sixers should have all of their biggest guns available to them with Quentin Grimes back to health. While the team will miss George, a bright spot will be the reemergence of Jared McCain, who has played much better of late and, hopefully, continues to grow in just his second season.
Tonight's game could be a half-hour highlights report if everything goes perfectly. Williamson, just by himself, is usually worth the price of admission when he's healthy, but for the Sixers, it's going to be much better. The ascension of Tyrese Maxey, what he continues to do for the team, and the plays he makes on a nightly basis are all worthy. Jared McCain and Quentin Grimes getting back in the groove, shooting from wherever they feel like, and filling up the stat sheet is another great one. Then there's the new guy, VJ Edgecombe, who has been stellar throughout the season, handling the good and bad moments as learning experiences and providing nightly highlights to NBA fans.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot, Joel Embiid will be playing.
Sixers 125 - Pelicans 116
