The 38-17 first-place Sixers could extend their winning streak to four games Friday night, but it probably won’t be an easy task.
Here are the main things for their game against the 39-18 Clippers:
- When: 19:00 ET with Sixers Pregame Live at 18:15
- Where: Wells Fargo Center
- Broadcast: NBC Sports Philadelphia
- Live Streaming: NBCSportsPhiladelphia.com and the MyTeams App
And here are three storylines to look at:
Clippers bar
The Clippers have won seven consecutive games and 13 of 15. The team has been No. 1 in net rating and offensive since March 20, according to Cleaning the Glass.
The Sixers were one of the teams that beat the Clippers during the successful series. Joel Embiid was eliminated on March 27 by his bruise on the left knee bone for Los Angeles’ 122-112 victory.
The last time Embiid played against the Clippers was one of the Sixers’ best overall performances for 2019-20. While Al Horford switched to a sixth man role, Embiid and Simmons each scored 26 points in the Sixers victory on February 11 last year.
Which stars will play?
Kawhi Leonard (sore right foot) will not play on Friday, Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said. According to Lue, Paul George missed shooting incident due to an illness and it will be a playtime decision.
Six Rivers head coach Doc Rivers classified Tobias Harris (right knee injury) as “doubtful” during his predictive media availability, but did not rule him out. Dwight Howard (sore left knee) is also in doubt.
Harris experienced some pain in his knee, he said Wednesday night. Although the Sixers’ chances of beating Los Angeles will suffer if Harris is gone, his long-term health should obviously be a priority for the team. If Harris does not play, Anthony Tolliver, the ten-day contract business, might make his Sixers debut.
Serge Ibaka (distressed lower back), Patrick Beverley (left-hand fourth metacarpal fracture) and George Hill (right-hand surgery) were excluded.
Bank players to watch
Terance Mann was an X-Factor in the first Sixers-Clippers game this season and scored 23 points off the bench on 10-for-12 shooting. Rivers will presumably highlight Mann in the Sixers’ preseason preparation. Rivers will not focus on transition defense.
Shake Milton is another bench player worth mentioning, and not just because of the 39-point afternoon in Los Angeles last year. He averaged 14.8 points and 2.7 assists during his last 15 games, averaging 40.4 percent from the three-point series. Milton has scored double figures in 36 of his 47 games this year.