The Sixers are back home for a preseason matchup against the Brooklyn Nets. Here’s the info you’ll need for tonight’s game.
Sixers game information
Who: Brooklyn Nets at Philadelphia 76ers
When: 7:00 p.m.
Where: Wells Fargo Center; Philadelphia, PA
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia
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The Philadelphia 76ers ended their preseason road trip with a win over the Atlanta Hawks 104-89 and are now looking towards the Brooklyn Nets in their second to last preseason game. At 2-2, with wins over New Zealand and Atlanta, the Sixers are looking to get their preseason back over the .500 mark.
With superstars Joel Embiid and Paul George out for tonight, Philadelphia role players will get a chance to step up. That’s especially the case since head coach Nick Nurse told the media that the plan even before the PG injury was to rest several veterans. Sixers fans will get to see some of their deeper rotation pieces for extended periods of time. With Nick Nurse still finding his opening-day rotation, here’s what to pay attention to in this exhibition game.
Contributing youth
Jared McCain has not had a perfect preseason but has shown all of the flashes for what made him the 16th pick in this year’s draft. McCain has averaged 13.8 points per game and has been confident in taking jumpers. While the shots haven’t been falling at the rate we know he can get to (42.0% from the field and 34.8% from three), McCain has seemed to be improving his feel and the rhythm for the NBA game.
Another young guard/wing who is looking to break into the lineup is Ricky Council IV. An undrafted free agent last year on a two-way deal, Ricky played well enough to earn a multi-year contract before the season ended. In the preseason, he averaged 8.0 points per game in only 18.0 minutes of action. He is also shooting 40.0% from three and is contributing 4.3 rebounds a game. While the young guard/forward is unlikely to garner significant playing time, his ability and skillset have been on full display for the Sixers this preseason.
The Dancing Bear
Guerschon Yabusele has been exceeding expectations on the Sixers so far in his career. The man who dunked over LeBron James in the Olympics has been playing excellently through his first four games. His defense is as advertised. His jump shot looks real, and his range has been extended. In his last season in Boston, Yabusele made only nine three-pointers.
Through his first four preseason games with the Sixers, he has already made six, shooting at a 50.0% clip from three. Not to mention that in the Sixers’ win against Atlanta, Yabusele also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds. While it is only preseason, if Yabusele has another great performance tonight, Nick Nurse is going to have a hard time not finding minutes for The Dancing Bear.
Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets come into this game with a 1-1 record following a win over the Wizards. The Nets will be without Bojan Bogdanović, who is still recovering from his offseason surgery, Day’ron Sharpe, and Trendon Watford for this game. This game also marks the return of two Sixers guards to Philadelphia, with Ben Simmons and Shake Milton returning to face off against their old team.
Milton has been playing extremely well, averaging 12.5 points in the Nets’ last two games, only missing one shot. Simmons has been still working to return to form after the last few years, averaging 6.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.
With Simmons and Shake, alongside Cam Thomas and Keon Johnson, the Nets have a dangerous backcourt with tons of ability to generate offense. Keep an eye out for how Nick Nurse plans to stop these guys, as well as which of our guard rotations steps up against them.
