The Philadelphia 76ers (9-7) look to get another win under their belt against the Portland Trailblazers (8-8) Saturday night in Portland.
After ending a six-game losing streak against the Nuggets Thursday night, the Sixers look to keep the ball rolling against Portland, who they previously defeated earlier this month at home.
Injury Report
Danny Green: Day to Day (hamstring)
Matisse Thybulle: Questionable (health and safety protocols)
Joel Embiid: Out (health and safety protocols)
Ben Simmons: Out (personal)
While the Sixers have seen Tobias Harris and Isaiah Joe return from health and safety protocols over the past week, the Sixers are still missing two of their strongest defensive players in Joel Embiid and Matisse Thybulle, both due to COVID safety protocols. With the 10 day protocol period approaching for both Thybulle and Embiid, Sixers could only hope that they will join the team at the end of their road trip this coming week.
Danny Green has also been absent from the court the last two games against Utah and Denver with a hamstring injury that has been plaguing him all season. No word yet on when his return will be.
Ben Simmons still remains out due to personal reasons as the Sixers’ talks of moving him are still heating up with rumors of moves to Detroit, Brooklyn, and Portland remaining in the mix.
Sixers and Blazers Last Matuchup
The Sixers took on the Trailblazers at the beginning of November and ended the game with a win of 113-103. In that matchup, the shorthanded Sixers produced big games from Seth Curry (23 points) and Georges Niang (21 points) with outstanding defense all around, ending the night with 11 steals.
The Sixers were able to keep Portland’s sharpshooters, Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, at bay, but the Blazers still have answers for the Sixers, creating a tight game up until the last 4 minutes of the 4th quarter.
Being that the Sixers were without their two stars in Embiid and Harris, the Sixers remained gritty and defensive-minded the whole game and earned that win with hard work and determination.
Tyrese Maxey
Tyrese Maxey has been absolutely phenomenal for the Sixers in his sophomore year, scoring 18.4 PPG and 4.4 APG. It should also be noted that Maxey’s player efficiency rating is higher than that of Ben Simmons’ last year, with Maxey at 18.4 PER and Simmons at 18.3 PER.
Maxey is just what the doctor ordered for ailing Sixers fans wanting to see their point guard shoot the ball and not just score off a drive. Maxey has been lighting it up from beyond, shooting an impressive 52.3% from the 3. Sixers fans can now be at ease knowing Maxey is not afraid the shoot the ball and shoots well at that.
Tyrese Maxey is proving to be an invaluable asset to the Sixers, giving Daryl Morey no choice but to keep the young stud out of trade talks when it comes time to giving Simmons a new home.
The Sixers take on the Trailblazers Saturday night at 10:00 PM in Portland.
