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Game Preview: Philadelphia 76ers Face Off Against Houston Rockets

Nov 14, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tony Wroten (8) drives the ball during the second half as Houston Rockets guard Isaiah Canaan (0) defends at Toyota Center. The Rockets defeated the 76ers 88-87. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Game Preview: Philadelphia 76ers Face Off Against Houston Rockets

Tonight, the Philadelphia 76ers may make history.  They are on a losing streak of 26 games, which ties the NBA record.  They did this by finishing last season with ten consecutive losses, followed by opening this season with 16 straight losses.   With a win, Philadelphia can halt their losing streak at sixteen games. With a loss, the team will be set the NBA record with 27 consecutive losses, and tie their winless streak in opening last year at 0-17.

The Sixers have been getting close to victory, taking leads deep into the fourth quarter in the last three games before the home team rebounded to win the consecutive games.  Philly has lost the last three games to the Miami Heat, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Boston Celtics by a combined score difference of 14 total points.  Just 14 points.  In each game, Jahlil led the Sixers in scoring but disappeared in the final minutes of the game as the opponent mounted their respective comebacks.

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We keep saying “tonight is the night”. But tonight could finally be the night. The Houston Rockets have been struggling on their own this year. After a sluggish 4-7 start to the season, they outright fired their head coach Kevin McHale and named J.B. Bickerstaff as interim head coach.  The team responded with a victory, but has lost their last three games to sit at 5-10.

What To Watch For:

The Houston Rockets’ problems extend into both their defense and offense. The Ty Lawson pairing with James Harden simply has not worked for the Rockets yet, and as as result the team has given up 5.3 points more per game this season, and scored 4.2 points less per game.   Lawson has been relegated to the bench and has been replaced by the efficient Jason Terry.

For the first time, the Sixers face a team they are statistically better than: at least on defense.   The Sixers give up 4.1 points per game less than the Rockets.  The Houston Rockets are averaging 10 points per game more than our Sixers however.

The Sixers are not a Jahlil Okafor offense only right now.   Robert Covington has shown resiliency on both offense and defense, and actually led the team with 14 rebounds against the Celtics.  Hollis Thompson has been the hot hand off the bench, scoring from long range and pumping in 15 points in each of the last two games.  It will be curious to see how the Sixers rally around their scoring leader tonight to take the heat off him.

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Highlighted Matchup:

It’s too easy to point to the matchup of Dwight Howard versus Jahlil Okafor, but that will certainly be a good one.  Howard plays more minutes per game than Jahlil, and will have a hard time shutting down our offensive weapon in the closing minutes of this one.   Robert Covington will be a good player to keep an eye on.  If the Sixers defense can frustrate the Houston Rockets, this one could end the losing streak, and none too soon.

It seems as though everyone has a big game when facing the Sixers, and tonight could be James Harden’s night to shine.  But Harden scored 40 points against the Memphis Grizzlies to no avail.  Tonight, the Sixers could rally around Okafor, and steal the game away from a reeling Rockets team.

Next: Sixers Okafor Wood Incident Raises Questions

Sixers Injury Report:

Nerlens Noel (knee)

This game will take place at Houston, 8:00 EST. Tune in on Comcast SportsNet or 97.5 FM The Fanatic.