Nearly one year ago to the date, actually on Jan. 29, 2014, the Sixers went up to Boston to take on a team that, for the moment, was tanking more than they were. Boston was resting superstar point guard Rajon Rondo for Phil Pressley, while the Sixers started a lineup of usual starters that won them their 15th game that evening.
That was the last Wednesday of January, essentially this same point in the year/season as the past one. While the Sixers’ rebuild was underway, things were not quite awful. The Sixers improved to 15-31, or a .320 winning percentage.
What happened next was the historic streak.
Philadelphia, before even making the trade-deadline deals that shipped out starters Spencer Hawes and Evan Turner, would drop their next nine. Then the trades happened, and they lost their next 17 to tie an NBA record for 26 losses in a row.
Throughout the rest of the calendar year, things didn’t really start looking much better. The Sixers of course did not have the draft lottery and draft itself play out as hoped, as both Brett Brown and many fans wanted Andrew Wiggins, and the season got off on another losing streak. Breaking it down in three, the Sixers went 4-32 from Jan. 31 to the end of the season, then had an underwhelming draft, not walking away with any tangible prospects for this season, then have since gone 8-37.
All in all, that is 12-69 through 81 games in one turn of the calendar. Tonight’s game against the Pistons will make it an even 82 games, or a full season’s worth of games—which coincides with the full anniversary mark of “bad basketball” being turned to “awful basketball”.
So, a win tonight would ensure the Sixers avoiding suffering 70 losses in a calendar year, something only five teams have done over the course of the season.
And then the Sixers can turn the page on a calendar year that is almost surely going to be better than this past one. But first, it would be nice to end a losing note on a not-so-losing note.
Game Notes:
- Going into tonight’s game, the teams are a combined 1-10 in their last 11 games since they last met about two weeks ago.
- It would be a big boost for Philadelphia if Michael Carter-Williams cannot play (more in injuries). In his two games against Detroit this season, MCW is averaging 17.5 points per game, 105. Assists and 4.5 rebounds. Both of those games were matched up against Brandon Jennings, who tore his Achilles’ tendon and will not play.
- The Sixers are allowing opponents to shoot (and make) the third-most three’s per game.
- Philadelphia has not shot 40 % or more from the field in each of the last five games, something that has not happened since December 1997.
Injuries:
As mentioned, Jennings is out with a torn Achilles. Carter-Williams is considered “questionable” with an upper respiratory infection. Tony Wroten (knee), Joel Embiid (foot) and Jason Richardson (knee/foot) are out indefinitely.
Projected Lineups:
Detroit:
PG- D.J. Augustin
SG- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
SF- Kyle Singler
PF- Greg Monroe
C- Andre Drummond
Philadelphia:
PG- Larry Drew II
SG- K.J. McDaniels
SF- Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
PF- Nerlens Noel
C- Henry Simms
Prediction: The Sixers take advantage of a tired, hurt, Pistons team and steal this one down the stretch, 105-100.
