Ben Simmons and the Brooklyn Nets are in Philadelphia as the Sixers desperately look to get back into the win column. The team will already be without Paul George, who reinsured his knee against the Grizzlies on Wednesday night and is out for the next two games. The status of Joel Embiid remains to be seen for the game as he was added to the injury report as “questionable” with knee management this morning.
Sixers game information
Who: Brooklyn Nets (6-9) at Philadelphia 76ers (2-12)
When: 7:00 pm EST
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia PA
Watch: NBC Sports Network, NBA League Pass, YES Network
Latest on the Sixers
The Sixers come into Friday nights game at the precipice of the season, despite being just 14 games into the year. To start the season they’ve dealt with injuries and missed games from all three of their big stars, Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey, in addition to losing Kyle Lowry, earlier in the week to a hip injury.
Embiid returned more to form against the Grizzlies on Wednesday night, finishing the game with 35 points and 11 rebounds in 35 minutes. Embiid shot 10-21 from the field and was 1-5 on three-point attempts as he’s tried to get himself back to the dominating player he’s been over the past few years.
The extended absence to start the season has put the team behind, and with a lot of shots hitting off the front of the rim, Embiid is not completely there. The expectation is over the next few games, Embiid will get back to his normal self, it’s just yet to be seen. Wednesday night was the most encouraging part of the season for himself and the team so far.
With all that being said, George injuring his knee again is not ideal for the team, and they’ll have to continue to monitor his situation throughout the year, as he’s had a long history of injuries and missed games. Tyrese Maxes returned from his hamstring injury and shot just 3-13 from the floor and was 0-6 on three-point attempts. The rust was to be expected, but that’s not the norm for Maxey, and after Wednesday night’s game, the hope is that Maxey will be back to his normal self with Embiid on the court and the addition to the starting lineup of rookie star Jared McCain.
McCain has been one of the few bright spots for the team as he’s averaging 15.6 points per game, with twenty or more in his last six. The star rookie and early favorite for the Rookie of the Year award is, more importantly, shooting 48.3% from the floor and 43.2% on his three-point attempts. He has yet to miss a free throw through fourteen games. McCain has been much better than the team or the league had anticipated, and the team seems to have lucked into another young star to pair with Maxey in the backcourt for years to come.
Latest on the Nets
The Nets come into Philadelphia having lost three of their last four games, including two straight to the Knicks and just squeaking by the Hornets on Tuesday, winning the game 116-115. The Nets haven’t been getting blown out, with the exception of a 25-point loss to the Celtics on November 9th, but they’ve had a hard time recently winning the closer games.
The team is facing some injury issues of its own. Cam Thomas is listed as probable for tonight’s game, and Nik Claxton and Dorian Finney-Smith are both listed as questionable. The team will be without Bojan Bogdanovic and Day’Ron Sharper, who are both out with left leg injuries.
The team should have Thomas for the game and he’s off to a great start for the team this year, averaging 24.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists on the year. In addition to Thomas, Cameron Johnson is averaging 18.1 points and Dennis Schroder 17.8 points per game. Without the 6’11” Clayton, the Nets will have a hard time defending Embiid and the interior where they may be forced to play Ben Simmons in the low post.
What to watch for tonight
The Sixers should really just be missing George and Lowry for the game, with Embiid and Maxey, hopefully, playing more like their normal selves as they work their way back into game form from their injuries. The addition of McCain will make the game easier for both players as McCain has shown fearlessness in shooting and penetrating the lane while contributing the only solid outside shooting on the team. Despite what his game stats may show, the impressive play of Caleb Martin has added a good piece to a Sixers lineup that could, and should, be one of the best in the league.
Anytime that Ben Simmons is back in Philly will always make for an interesting game, while fans will be watching and anticipating what Simmons will do, whether good or bad. Simmons taking and making a three-pointer would be the icing on the cake in a game against the Sixers in Philadelphia, but that’s about as likely as Paul George suiting up for the Sixers tonight. Either way, the stadium will be excited to see if the Sixers can grab a win and at the same time make Simmons miserable, it would be a huge night in Philadelphia.
Prediction
Sixers 121 – Nets 104
