The Sixers are coming off an embarrassing loss to the Orlando Magic, getting blown out by 41 points on their own floor. The good news is that they now face arguably the worst team in the NBA this season, the Brooklyn Nets, which should give them a golden opportunity to get back in the win column and move past an absolute stinker. What could go wrong?
So, are the Nets really as bad as their 3-14 record suggests? In short, yes. Brooklyn brought in five first-round picks from the most recent draft, most of them late in the round. As you’d expect, they’re raw and still developing, and together they make up about a third of the roster. Beyond that group, the Nets don’t have much in the way of win-now talent.
Adding to those struggles, Michael Porter Jr. will be out for this matchup. Acquired in a trade with the Denver Nuggets, he’s been the lone bright spot in what’s shaping up to be a full rebuild. Through 16 games he’s posting career numbers across the board, averaging 24.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3 assists on 48.3 percent shooting from the field and 36.2 percent from three. He’s taking more shots than ever without a significant drop in efficiency. The other notable contributor is Nic Claxton— best known to Sixers fans as the draft pick involved in the Trevor Booker deal — who is coming off his first career triple-double.
Claxton is averaging 14.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists while shooting 56 percent from the field. Depending on who starts and who’s available, his speed and mobility could give the Sixers’ centers real problems.
Availability is once again a major talking point for the Sixers, and this matchup is no exception. Philadelphia has ruled out Joel Embiid (injury management), VJ Edgecombe (injury management), Kelly Oubre (knee sprain), and Trendon Watford (adductor strain). Paul George is questionable with an ankle sprain, while Adem Bona is expected to return and is listed as probable.
For Brooklyn, in addition to Porter, Haywood Highsmith and Cam Thomas are out. Ben Saraf is questionable with an ankle sprain.
There wasn’t much positive to take from the Sixers’ last game, aside from Jared McCain. He’s scored 15 points in each of the team’s last two outings and is starting to look more like the player we saw last season. He’ll try to keep that momentum going off the bench.
Beyond that, the goal for this game is straightforward: win convincingly and wash out the taste of the previous performance.
For those tracking offensive and defensive rankings, the Sixers’ offense has slipped to 15th in the league, while their defense sits at 19th. The Nets, meanwhile, have the sixth-worst offense and the league’s worst defense, ranking dead last at 30th.
It’s also worth noting that this is almost certainly the Sixers’ final NBA Cup game. On the bright side, the Nets’ alternate court is one of the best in the league, thanks to its mostly gray-black color scheme, so at least your eyes won’t suffer while watching.
As for the Sixers’ cup hopes, they’re essentially finished. They’re sitting at 0–3 with a brutal point differential of –51. Only Utah has been worse, posting a staggering –94.
The NBA Cup implications don’t really matter tonight, but the game itself does. The Sixers have been handed a perfect setup for a bounce-back performance: multiple days of rest and a matchup with one of the league’s worst teams. That should add up to a much-needed win, regardless of who’s in or out of the lineup. Now we’ll see if they can actually get things back on track.
Game Details
When: Tuesday, November 28, 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow: @LibertyBallers
