Philadelphia 76ers Travel To Brooklyn In Seek Of Positives
The Philadelphia 76ers haven’t had a positive game in the past few several games, and are traveling to Brooklyn to seek a win over the Nets.
Philadelphia 76ers (1-21) @ Brooklyn Nets (6-15), 7:30pm, Barclays Center
After a 51-point drubbing against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, the Philadelphia 76ers travel to face the Brooklyn Nets Thursday night, pitting the two teams at the bottom of the Atlantic Division. Both of these teams are looking for wins tonight for different reasons and both teams have their best chance among their respective upcoming schedules.
Coming off of the brutal loss, the Sixers need to regroup to avoid another big blowout. They have three days to prepare, but so many things went wrong in that game, and the season as a whole, that perhaps they will need more time. The biggest issue from Monday’s loss was the disappearing play of Jahlil Okafor. He has been struggling in the past several games he has played in, shooting less than 50% from the field and not grabbing double-digit rebounds, on top of serving a 2-game suspension for his altercation in Boston.
The troubles continue for the rest of the team, as only Robert Covington has been performing well. Nerlens Noel has not been the same since injuring his wrists; while his offense was never great, it has fallen off a cliff since the injury, and his activity on defense isn’t consistently elite as it was last year, and how it needs to be for Philly to compete. Tony Wroten will be playing his third game back from injury, but still needs to shake off the rust as he has been reckless with the ball and not converting chances he has made last year around the rim.
Since the Nets don’t own their draft pick this year they are competing for a chance to get into the playoffs. Embarrassingly, the team has not come close to doing so, currently six games behind the Chicago Bulls for the last playoff spot. A huge blow to their chances is the injury to Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. The promising rookie had to go under the knife and is expected to be out 8-10 weeks.
What To Watch For
The big men going head-to-head will be the most intriguing matchup of the night. Both Brook Lopez and Okafor are very similar players: old-school back-to-the-basket bigmen, who can face up and take a shot when necessary, but are questionable rebounders and defenders. Jahlil should use this matchup as a barometer for his skills; he should aim to match Brook’s output, but plan to exceed it by becoming that elite defender and rebounder.
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Final Take
Both teams need this win to give validation to their seasons, but both have huge question marks on both sides of the ball. Can Jahlil show his form from the beginning of the season? Is Nerlens able to get back to the defensive predator he was last year? Can the rest of the Sixers step up to give more support? Will the Nets show the resiliency that they had in their last game, a win against the Houston Rockets?
Prediction – The Sixers are reeling right now. After their first win last week, they lost huge twice (New York Knicks and Spurs) and gave up a late lead (Denver Nuggets). I don’t see the team getting it together against the Nets, especially in an away game so the Sixers will be waiting another night for win number two.
Where To Catch The Game
- CSNPhilly is broadcasting the game
- 97.5 has the game on the radio
- NBA League Pass is available for anyone out of market or anyone who needs to stream