The Philadelphia 76ers are in Houston on Monday night to take on the Rockets as their season and first-round pick in this year’s draft are hanging in the balance. With a win over the Mavericks on Sunday, the Sixers remain a half-game back from the fifth position that the Brooklyn Nets currently hold after their win over the Hawks. The Rockets, meanwhile, are tied with the Nuggets and Timberwolves for second place in the Western Conference.
Sixers game information
Who: Philadelphia 76ers (23-44) at Houston Rockets (43-25)
When: 8 p.m. EST
Where: Toyota Center, Houston, TX
Watch: AT&T SportsNet Southwest
Latest on the Sixers
The Sixers are in Houston fresh off their victory over the Mavericks on Sunday, a game that was closer at the end than it was for much of the fourth quarter. The Sixers were never going to lose all of their games, and each one is important to their goal of keeping their first-round pick in the upcoming draft. If they can finish with the fifth-worst record in the league, they stand a much better chance of securing a top-six pick and holding off the Thunder from claiming the pick.
What the games have come down to, of late, is Quentin Grimes. In his first game against the team that dealt him at the deadline this season, Grimes finished with 28 points and six assists while shooting 10-19 from the floor yet only hitting 2-7 on his three-point attempts. Grimes has played himself into a very good position as he’s a restricted free agent at the end of the year, and what he’s done with the Sixers has shown them that he can be a valuable piece of their puzzle moving forward.
Players like Ricky Council IV, Oshae Brissett, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Jeff Dowtin, and Jared Butler have all been getting quality minutes of late for the depleted Sixers team and have responded very well. While some won’t see much in the way of playing next season, they’re showing that, given some time, they could provide some value in a reserve role to the Sixers or another team. Justin Edwards continues to have some shooting woes from long distances, but his ten points and two steals have helped the Sixers as he’s shown that he can be a legitimate piece for the team moving forward.
Latest on the Rockets
The Rockets are 7-3 over their last ten games and are currently on a six-game winning streak as they host the Sixers. The Rockets have a good young team that’s come together this season, led by Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun. Green leads the team with 21.3 points per game, while Sengun is averaging 19.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 4.9 assists on the year.
While the team features a good number of quality young players like Green and Sengun, as well as Amen Thompson, Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr., and Cam Whitmore, they have a good number of veterans to provide leadership like Steven Adams, Fred VanVleet, Aaron Holiday and Dillon Brooks. What the Rockets have done over the past few years is exactly what the Sixers tried to start in 2014 with “the process”. The difference is that the Rockets still have some future draft picks they’ll be able to utilize as the veterans move on.
What to watch for tonight
The Sixers will be trying their hardest again to win, but the Rockets are a healthy and talented squad to go up against. They’re one of the top teams in a very tough Western Conference. Despite missing Amen Thompson, who’s out with an ankle sprain, the team will be healthy and looking to move up and secure second place in the conference as the season wears down.
While the Rocket’s offensive rating sits right in the middle of the league, they’re currently second in the league in defensive rating, which will be a problem for the undermanned and outgunned Sixers roster. The Rockets don’t move the ball as they should, with a league-worst assists ratio of just 16.2%, but they offset that with a league-best rebounding percentage. The Rockets are a sound defensive team, and that’s what has helped them to the top of the West.
The game will be a tough one for the Sixers as the Rockets are vying for one of the top positions in their conference and need to win each game to step away from the Nuggets and Timberwolves, while the Sixers should be ok with losing some games and gaining ground on the Nets for the fifth worse record. Against a very good defensive team like the Rockets, it will be interesting to see if Quentin Grimes can continue his hot play while the others continue to contribute as a whole. The game will be interesting as you’ll be able to see the difference in the success and failure of the two processes.
Prediction
Sixers 95 – Rockets 118
