The Philadelphia 76ers are doing something they hadn’t been able to at the start of the season: winning games. They’ve won seven of their last ten, including three in a row, as they head into Portland, where the Trail Blazers will be looking for their third win in a row. Someone’s winning streak ends tonight, and for the Sixers, it doesn’t look like it’ll be theirs.
Sixers game information
Who: Philadelphia 76ers (12-17) at Portland Trail Blazers (11-20)
When: 10 p.m. EST
Where: Moda Center, Portland OR
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBA League Pass
Latest on the Sixers
In the midst of a three-game winning streak with victories over the Spurs, Jazz, and Celtics, the Sixers have been winning quite a bit of late. The return of Joel Embiid, coupled with Tyrese Maxey finding his shooting stroke, has really pulled the Sixers out of the hole they had been digging since the season started. With all the distractions falling by the wayside, the Sixers are returning to how they like to play ball and win games.
When Embiid was in the lineup last season, the Sixers won at a 79% pace, and that’s not something that any team should be able to keep up with over the course of a season. While the Sixers are just 5-5 with Embiid in the lineup this year, there’ve been too many outside issues that have caused the team headaches and limited what they’ve been able to do.
Lately, Embiid has looked closer to his former self than at any time this year, and that’s what the Sixers need. In an Eastern Conference that’s not exactly lighting the league on fire, the Sixers remain just four games out of fifth place in the conference.
While Embiid has been working his way back slowly, guard Tyrese Maxey has just continued to plow forward and is finally shooting the ball the way he’s been accustomed to over his career. Over the last five games, Maxey is averaging 29.6 points on 45% shooting and 40.5% three-point shooting, all while averaging 38.8 minutes per game. He’s been everything the Sixers have needed, especially of late, while Embiid and Paul George have dealt with issues through the start of the season.
Paul George, on the other hand, can’t seem to find his shot, and it’s not hurting the Sixers so much of late, but it’s going to catch up with them one of these days. For his last five games, George has been playing 33.8 minutes per game but has only averaged 12 points per game.
If you’re part of the crowd that says he’s been “great” at the other stuff, he’s averaged 2.4 steals per game over the last five, but his 6.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists aren’t lighting the world on fire. The real problem, as it’s been all season, is that George just can’t seem to get his shot falling. He’s shooting 30.3% from the field and 20% on his three-point attempts over the last five games. While the Sixers have been winning, it’s a lot closer than it would have been if George had been hitting his shots.
Latest on the Trail Blazers
The Blazers are coming off a win over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night where they spread the ball around so well that it seemed like everyone was going to score 20 points. Shaedon Sharpe led the way with 23 points but Anfernee Simons had 22, DeAndre Ayton and Deni Avdija each had 21, and Scoot Henderson chipped in 19 as the team shot 50% from the field and 42.5% on their threes, which is not normal for the Trail Blazers.
The Blazers are sitting close to the bottom of the Western Conference, partially because there are so many good teams in the west and partially due to their own shooting woes. The Blazers rank near the bottom of the league with a 44.3% shooting percentage and just 33.5% on their three-point attempts. Oddly enough, those are the same numbers that the Sixers shoot.
While the Blazers have some quality younger players, they’re just not where they need to be in order to compete in a stacked Western Conference. As they grow, the team stands a chance of improving, it just won’t be this year and as it stands, they don’t seem to have enough to compete with the current lineup the Sixers will be running at them.
What to watch for
Tonight’s game should be tough to watch as neither team is very good at shooting the ball but, for the Sixers, they’re defense has been improving and the Blazers are one of the worst defensive teams in the league. This should allow Maxey and Embid to each get themselves over 30 points in the game and the hope would be that Paul George is able to use time against a weaker defensive unit, to get himself going with his own shooting issues.
What the Sixers can’t do is get into another close game, as they have done lately, and let it come down to the wire against a team that shouldn’t be able to compete against them. They need Embiid to continue his acclimation to his new teammates while upping his minutes on the floor. Maxey must continue his hot shooting way, and players like Guerschon Yabusele, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Caleb Martin can work on putting up some points. If the team plays, as they have lately, with good ball movement, quality defense, and unselfishness, this game should be an easy one for them.
Prediction
Sixers 121 – Trail Blazers 104
