The Sixers are still off to a strong start this season at 7-5, but they’ve certainly cooled off a bit since their 4-0 opening. They’re now coming off a rough 114-105 loss to a seriously shorthanded Pistons team on Friday, setting them up for what needs to be a bounce back performance on Monday night.
Up next, the Sixers are against the 4-9 Clippers, sitting all the way down in 11th place in the Western Conference.
Unfortunately for the Sixers, a couple of new names are on Monday’s injury report. Adem Bona (right ankle sprain) and Kelly Oubre Jr. (left knee sprain) are now out, with Oubre set to meet specialists to discuss how to handle his injury. Joel Embiid remains out with right knee soreness.
There is good news, though! Paul George has been upgraded to questionable, and his debut sure would be coming at a good time if he plays, especially now that Oubre’s sidelined.
Jared McCain has also been made available again after a brief stint in the G League.
Kawhi Leonard’s status isn’t official for Monday yet, but he remained out for the Clippers on Sunday with a right ankle sprain. Bradley Beal undergoing season-ending hip surgery has made their weak start to the season even tougher.
The Clippers have bolstered their frontcourt with John Collins (who’s been fairly quiet this season overall and has just moved to the starting lineup over the last few games) and Brook Lopez, and in theory have plenty of talent and depth to support their stars with others like Bogdan Bogdanovic, Chris Paul, former Sixers star role player Nicolas Batum, and Ivica Zubac to anchor their play in the paint at both ends. Yet, it hasn’t amounted to much.
So far, the Clippers rank just 21st in offensive rating and 25th in defensive rating. James Harden having a quality start to the year — averaging 26.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 9.0 assists per game with a 64.5 true shooting percentage and three 35-plus-point performances in his last four outings — hasn’t been enough to lift them to more success.
The size and talent of their frontcourt will likely give the smaller Sixers some problems. It’ll be interesting to see how Andre Drummond steps up in this one, and Justin Edwards and Dominick Barlow (and maybe PG) will be needed to help guard up and chip in on the boards from the wing — especially with Oubre out.
That said, Philly still has some favorable matchups here with their amount of shooting and dynamic guard play against L.A.’s faltering defense — especially with Leonard out and unable to disrupt on the perimeter.
VJ Edgecombe has struggled more over the last two weeks as his efficiency has dropped — maybe it’s partly due to playing a ton of minutes at 37.3 a night, and/or simply having natural learning curves as a young NBA rookie. He still only shot 6-of-15 against the Pistons on Friday, but took a step back in the right direction with 18 points, seven boards, three assists, a steal, and 4-of-8 shooting from three.
Even after some recent slips and losses, these younger, faster, more energized Sixers still picked up an exciting win against the Celtics last week. If Maxey stays hot, Quentin Grimes keeps stepping up off the bench, Edgecombe returns to form, and Drummond can handle the boards and compete with the Clippers’ size (he’s been playing pretty well and cleaning up on the glass in increased minutes over the last three games), the Sixers should have enough firepower.
Barlow’s return bodes well, too. He was solid at both ends again in his return against the Pistons, and will be needed to help compete against the Clippers’ bigs in Bona’s absence.
To give the Sixers an extra edge at home, they also have the advantage of two days’ rest, while the Clippers are on the second night of a road back-to-back following a 121-118 loss to the Celtics on Sunday.
Clearly the Clippers still have talent, and maybe Harden will whip up a monster game against his former team to single-handedly make things more interesting. It won’t be an easy night with new injuries to deal with, too. But against a tired team that’s largely struggled to start the new season, and the potential for George’s season debut/revenge game, this contest could still be a chance for the Sixers to get back on track with a win.
When: Monday, November 17, 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow: @LibertyBallers
