Brandon Apter (@bapter23), Managing Editor
The Sixers (8-43) have had issues this season getting their big men, Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel, to co-exist on the court together. In their most recent game against the Nets though, both Noel and Okafor helped lead Philadelphia to victory with point guard Ish Smith nursing an injury. Okafor played at power forward at points and Noel protected the rim extremely well, which is his forte. Tonight, the Sixers welcome in the Clippers (34-17), who have been hot lately, winning six of their last seven games, all without Blake Griffin. Griffin has been out with a broken hand following an incident with one of the teams' employees.
Looking for their first back-to-back victories since March 18th and 20th of last season, the Sixers hope to build on their recent 103-98 win over the Brooklyn Nets. With a dangerous Clippers team in town, it's a good thing that both of Philadelphia's young, talented big men are coming off of impressive performances. Rookie center Jahlil Okafor scored 22 points, grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds and also blocked three shots. Meanwhile, Nerlens Noel had 18 points of his own to go along with four rebounds, four steals and three blocks. In addition to Okafor and Noel, with Ish Smith out, undrafted free agent rookie T.J. McConnell took center stage and put in a great effort, tying a career-high with 17 points on 7-for-10 shooting. He also dished out six assists and two steals. Smith is averaging 15.8 points and 7.9 assists since joining the Sixers and could return after missing the last game with a sprained ankle.
The Clippers are in search of their 19th win in the last 23 games. They will be without forward Blake Griffin, but that hasn't been an issue for LA, who have posted an 18-4 record since Griffin injured his quadriceps muscle back in late December. The Clippers have the best road record in the NBA since Christmas at 11-2. Paul Pierce has been filling in for Griffin and is averaging just 7.4 points per game over that span. Los Angeles is coming off of a 100-93 win in Miami. After going 0-for-7 in the first quarter and 0-for-9 to before hitting a shot, Chris Paul finished with 22 points, six of which came via two late-game three-pointers to seal the win.
Game Notes:
- The Clippers have scored 124.8 per game in their last four game against the Sixers.
- Chris Paul has averaged 24 points on 60.5 percent shooting in his past five at Philadelphia. He had 15 points and 14 assists in last month's meeting in Los Angeles.
- Luc Mbah a Moute makes his return to Philadelphia tonight for the first time since playing 67 games with the Sixers last season. He averaged 9.9 points and 4.9 rebounds for the Sixers. This season for LA, he's averaging 2.9 points and 2.4 rebounds in 16.3 minutes per sgame
- LA has limited Philadelphia to 86 points and 38.5 percent shooting during their eight-game winning streak in the series, taking the past seven by an average of 27.1 points.
- The Clippers had six players score in double figures during a 130-99 win over the Sixers on January 2nd.
Lineups:
Sixers
PG – T.J. McConnell - 6.3 ppg, 4.8 apg
SG – Nik Stauskas - 7.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg
SF – Robert Covington - 11.0 ppg, 1.5 spg
PF – Jahlil Okafor - 17.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg
C – Nerlens Noel - 10.8 ppg, 8.1 rpg
Injuries: Ish Smith, (sprained left ankle, questionable), Richaun Holmes (right ankle sprain, out),Joel Embiid (broken right foot rehab, out)
Clippers
PG – Chris Paul - 18.9 ppg, 9.4 apg
SG – J.J. Redick - 16.0 ppg, 1.7 spg
SF – Paul Pierce - 5.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg
PF – Luc Mbah a Moute - 2.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg
C – DeAndre Jordan - 12.0 ppg, 13.9 rpg
Injuries: Austin Rivers (left hand contusion, questionable), Blake Griffin (right hand fracture and partially torn left quad tendon out)
Game Information:
Tip-off: 7PM
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
TV: Comcast Sportsnet
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Stream Live: NBC Sports Extra, CSNPhilly.com
