The Philadelphia 76ers are at home against the Sacramento Kings on Friday night, looking to put an end to their three-game losing streak. The Kings are in the middle of a five-game road trip and have won their past two over the Hornets and Pistons, with the Sixers looking to be their first test on the trip but, without Joel Embiid (knee), this becomes far more unpredictable.
Sixers vs Kings Game Info
Who: Sacramento Kings (23-14) at Philadelphia 76ers (23-13)
When: 7:30 pm EST
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia PA
Watch: ESPN, ESPN2, NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBC Sports California
Sixers vs Kings betting info
Spread: Sacramento Kings +1 | Philadelphia 76ers -1
Moneyline: Sacramento Kings -105 | Philadelphia 76ers -115
Total: Over/under 241
Latest on the Sixers
The Sixers are in the midst of a three-game losing streak, having just lost to the Hawks on Wednesday, 139-132 in overtime. They’ve been without reigning MVP, Joel Embiid for seven out of their last nine, with the center battling ankle and knee injuries over the past few weeks. He’ll be out for tonight’s game as well.
Without Embiid, the Sixers struggle to look remotely close to the third best team in the Eastern Conference, going 2-7 in games that he’s missed.
Guard Tyrese Maxey had a very good game against the Hawks with 35 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, and 4 steals but fouled out with a questionable call at the end of the game, allowing the Hawks to control the overtime period. Maxey will have to be more disciplined against a very good Kings team.
Forward Tobias Harris is going to need another big game like he had against the Hawks with 32 points and 10 rebound, but he’s going to need help. DeAnthony Melton, Kelly Oubre Jr., Pat Beverley, Paul Reed, Marcus Morris Sr., and Nico Batum are going to have to be on top of their games if they’re going to keep up with the Kings, while Embiid is sitting out.
Latest on the Kings
The Kings started their road trip with wins over the Pistons and Hornets. Keegan Murray led the way on in Wednesday’s, win over the Hornets with 25 points and 6 rebounds. While Murray was the leading scorer, Domantas Sabonis had 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists while guard Malik Monk had 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. This is a deep team.
Sabonis is having the best year of his career and it’s helped propel the Kings to fourth place in the Western Conference. He’s averaging 20.2 points, a league-leading 12.7 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game. In addition, he’s shooting 60.2% from the field with 39.5 of his three-point attempts. There are just no flaws in his game this season as he’s shown that he’s one of the top big men in the league.
The Kings are healthy except guard Kevin Huerter, who’s listed as questionable with an ankle injury. Having a healthy team with Fox, Sabonis, Monk, Murray, and Harrison Barnes, is going to be a lot for any team to handle, especially an Embiid-less Sixers.
What to watch for tonight
The real question is whether the Sixers can win a game without Embiid. Tyrese Maxey has established himself as a star this season and continues to impress, even in Embiid’s absence but he just can’t do it by himself. Tobias Harris has been having himself quite a run over the last ten games after starting off the season rather poorly. He’ll need some of that same magic tonight.
The Sixers need to have everyone play at the top of their game. That means Paul Reed limiting his fouls, Maxey and Harris shooting well, and getting quality minutes from Marcus Morris, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Pat Beverley off the bench. This game may be one where the Sixers give Jaden Springer some extra minutes to try to keep up with the Kings.
Whatever strategy head coach Nick Nurse decides to use tonight, it probably won’t be enough against a healthy Kings team. While the Sixers may find ways to slow down Fox, Monk, and Murray, the real problem is going to be Sabonis as the Sixers, without Embiid, don’t have an answer for him. It’s going to be a long night for the Sixers.
Prediction
Sixers 108 – Kings 121
AP Photo/John Bazemore
