The Philadelphia 76ers are in the middle of a three-game road trip and visiting the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night, looking to extend their three-game winning streak. Starting last Sunday with a win over the Raptors, the Sixers have seen the return of reigning MVP Joel Embiid boost their energy and confidence as they’ve won games over the Thunder and Heat.
Meanwhile, The Grizzlies will defend their three-game winning streak after winning over the Pistons twice and the Bucks on Wednesday.
Sixers game information
Who: Philadelphia 76ers (42-35) at Memphis Grizzlies (27-50)
When: 8:00 pm EST
Where: FedEX Forum, Memphis TN
Watch: NBC Philadelphia, NBA League Pass, Bally Sports South
Sixers vs Grizzlies betting information
Spread: Sixers -13 | Grizzlies +13
Moneyline: Sixers -850 | Grizzlies +575
Total: Over/Under 212
Latest on the Sixers
The Sixers are heading into Memphis, riding high on a three-game winning streak and the return of Joel Embiid from his knee injury. Embiid and guard Tyrese Maxey combined for 66 points, with Maxey just missing a triple-double against the Heat with 9 rebounds and 11 assists. The game was huge for the Sixers as they looked to be much better on the defensive side of the ball than previously while missing Embiid.
Maxey, who’s listed as questionable for tonight again with hip soreness, played 41 minutes against the Heat and was 15-26 from the field but just 5-14 on his three-point attempts. The Sixers were operating much better than at any time over the past few months, and with Kelly Oubre Jr. starting in place of the injured Tomas Harris, the starting five looked great. Oubre Jr. finished the game with 18 points and 8 rebounds in 41 minutes of play and made a few great plays at the end of the game to hold off the Heat.
While Embiid, Maxey, and Harris are all listed as questionable for Saturday night’s game, Harris is the only one who should miss another game as he battles a bruising in his knee. Harris being out has given the Sixers a different look, with Oubre Jr. starting in his place and playing very well. When Harris does return, coming off the bench may suit him best, as the starters are playing well without him. KJ Martin is seeing key minutes and Buddy Hield, Cam Payne, and Paul Reed seem to be locks for the smaller playoff rotation.
Latest on the Grizzlies
The Grizzlies are at home and will likely be a little tired on Saturday night as they will be playing their third game in four nights after beating the Pistons on Friday and the Bucks on Wednesday. They’re in the middle of their own three-game winning streak, albeit with two of them coming against the Pistons, they’re still looking to extend that and finish their season on a positive note.
The team had much higher hopes as they prepared for this season and immediately started without star Ja Morant, who was serving a 25-game suspension for noted off-court issues. Pairing Morant with the newly acquired Marcus Smart and Jaren Jackson Jr. would give the Grizzlies a good trio to work with. Jackson and Smart are the two past DPOY winners and Morant is a rising star in the league.
Things have not gone as planned. Morant has played nine total games this year before being shut down and undergoing surgery on an injured right shoulder. Smart is done for the year with a finger injury and Jackson has been battling a quadriceps injury. If you look down the roster, there aren’t many NBA level players that are healthy for the Grizzlies. Even guard Desmond Bane is out with a back injury. To say that things have gone poorly for the Grizzlies would be an understatement as the team has had to run lineups that have Scottie Pippin Jr. in them.
What to watch for tonight
The Sixers need every win possible in order to have a chance to jump over the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers for the 6th seed in the conference and avoid the play-in tournament. While it’s not out of the realm for the Sixers to win their remaining games as their schedule is a fairly easy one, the same cane be said for the Pacers and Heat. All three teams have a fairly easy schedule to finish out the season but the Heat play the Pacers on Sunday which could have a big effect on the whole mess.
Joel Embiid will look to get some more minutes under his belt as the Sixers prepare for the playoffs, no matter where they’r seeded. Embiid looked much better in his second game back from a two month absence, with the exception of when Heat center Bam Adebayo dove and fell on Embiids leg and the whole city of Philadelphia held it’s breath. Embiid was fine and finished with 29 points in 33 minutes, helping lead the team to victory.
With lineups tightening up and the Sixers aware of who they have on the court now that Embiid has returned, the list of players getting minutes should be much less. While Harris and Mo Bamba will see minutes when they return, Paul Reed has assured himself of backing up Embiid while Cam Payne and Buddy Hield will give the Sixers some shooting and scoring punch off the bench. The big surprise is KJ Martin who has played well over the past few weeks when given minutes and may have earned himself a spot in the rotation.
Buckle up Sixers fans, the excitement is just starting.
Prediction
Sixers 122 – Grizzlies 103
