The Sixers look to win their second straight against Washington.
This Sixers are coming into this game after an extremely close outing against a team that has not been up to par so far. If it wasn’t for the the clutch game-winning 3-pointer, hit by Shake Milton late in the fourth quarter, the Sixers would not have gotten away with a win.
All in all, it was a pretty disappointing game to watch, almost blowing a 12-point lead going into the final quarter. Having said that, this afternoon they will face an injury-ravaged Washington Wizards team coming off three consecutive losses since entering the bubble. The game will take place at 4:00 PM E.T. on NBA TV.
Here’s what I would like to see.
3. Rest Joel Embiid (or limit his minutes)
Joel Embiid has been hands down the best player on the court for the Sixers in both seeding games so far. He has scored a combined 68 points in 65 minutes, whilst grabbing 30 rebounds and dishing out nine assists.
Although he hasn’t been playing ridiculous minutes in the past few games, his prior injury history is something to keep in mind. Going up against a team whom is playing for no particular reason, other than to give their bench players some serious minutes, there is no need to put an extra load on the back of Embiid.
One injury is what could diminish the odds of the Sixers having a reputable chance in the playoffs. Also, looking ahead into the Sixers schedule, the Sixers center will have a few interesting matchups against some in-form teams, games where the input of Embiid will definitely be needed — Nikola Vucevic on Friday night, and Jusuf Nurkic on Sunday night.