The Philadelphia 76ers are in Detroit on Friday night to take on the Pistons after a somewhat uneventful trade deadline as they look to start a healthier lineup and playoff push to end the season. The Sixers are coming off a tough loss to the Heat on Wednesday night after a big victory over the Mavericks on Tuesday. The Pistons have lost their last two games and are looking to get back in the win column and overtake the Heat for the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.
Sixers game information
Who: Philadelphia 76ers (20-30) at Detroit Pistons (25-26)
When: 7:30 p.m. EST
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, ESPN, ESPN2, Bally Sports Detroit/Indiana
Latest on the Sixers
Questions have surrounded this Sixers team throughout the year, most of them based on the health of two of their star players, Joel Embiid and Paul George. Embiid has played in just 14 games this season, and George has played in a slightly better 31 games. What the Sixers haven’t been able to do is field the team they envisioned at the start of the season, and if all three play tonight, it will represent just the 12th game all year that they’ve been in the lineup together.
After the injuries, the team faced an uncertain trade deadline, and despite just a few low-key moves, the team may have emerged in a better position to handle the rest of the season. Caleb Martin, Reggie Jackson, and KJ Martin are gone, and Quentin Grimes and Jared Butler are in their place.
Grimes gives the team another good shooter, hitting his threes at a 39.8% rate this season. Butler has been on a two-way contract but torched the Sixers for 26 points on Jan. 8. Both players are younger and give the team some more options in the backcourt, while Grimes is a very good defender who should be paired with Maxey in most games.
What the Sixers need is what they unfortunately can’t help: for Embiid and George to be healthy and stay healthy. If the game against the Heat was any inclination for George, then he’s not ready. He’s been dealing with an injured hand and was terrible shooting on Wednesday night on his way to just nine points. Embiid, who played against the Mavericks, came back after missing a month and dropped a triple-double with 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists as the Sixers won the game. Both players are going to have to accept that this team has become Tyrese Maxey‘s, and that may be hard to do.
Latest on the Pistons
The Pistons were about as busy as the Sixers at the deadline but wound up getting Lindy Waters III and Dennis Schroder when it was all said and done. Waters III will give them a competent reserve, but Schroder will be able to add a good backcourt role to a team that lost Jaden Ivey at the start of the new year. Schroder will be able to fill a backup point guard role on a team that’s in the middle of the playoff pack in a watered-down Eastern Conference.
The Pistons look to be short-handed as they start their post-deadline march toward the sixth seed in the East. Shroder and Waters aren’t guaranteed to play, Tobias Harris and Malik Beasley are listed as probable, and star Cade Cunningham is listed as questionable for the game with an ankle sprain.
The Pistons may have to rely on Harris, Beasley, Jalen Duren, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Ausar Thompson to go against a Sixers team that will have a mostly complete roster. This isn’t the ideal spot for the Pistons, especially as they eye the Miami Heat in the standings and hope to get out of the Play-In tournament.
What to watch for tonight
The Sixers should have all three of their stars on the court, but that is not a good thing for anyone they face. Embiid, battling through an almost comical amount of injuries this season, has missed a whole month straight before returning against the Mavericks. While he does have work to do on both ends of the court, the fact remains that when healthy, Embiid is one of the top players in the league. After taking the month to get better, this may be the best time for Embiid to ramp up and get ready for the playoffs.
Playoffs? Yes.
Simply put, the Sixers are looking to and expect to be in the playoffs come the end of the season. The hope, after all that they’ve been through on the injury front, is that the players are now healthy and can work towards climbing in the rankings. Instead of making any splashy moves at the deadline, they opted for just a few small ones to address the needs of the team. The emergence of players like Guerschon Yabusele, Justin Edwards, Ricky Council IV, and even, to an extent, Adem Bona has shown the Sixers that they have a more rounded roster than most originally perceived.
Question marks are still there for the team, but starting tonight, the Sixers should be working towards cohesion on the floor as they start to acclimate Embiid back into the system. While it’s Joel Embiid, and he’s the biggest star, the team has changed in his absence and grown into a more fluid unit.
The ball movement and style have accelerated, and the team is utilizing all of its players. The days when they slow it all down for the lumbering center are gone. As the games go on, Embiid has to work on his stamina and try to acclimate himself to what this Sixers team has become.
It all starts tonight with a healthy roster and no lingering questions over anyone’s head. There are 32 games left in the season, and the Sixers are well within striking distance of the top five teams. With a healthy trio of stars, a quality supporting cast, and emerging young players, this game is the start of the quest to get there. With the assembled talent, renewed energy, and happiness from Maxey, a healthy Embiid, and George, the team doesn’t have an excuse not to do what they set out to do at the start of the season.
Prediction
Sixers 133 – Pistons 118
