After celebrating a buzzer-beating victory on January 29th against the Celtics, the Sixers have gone winless in 25 straight games. No more Evan Turner. No more Spencer Hawes. Instead, the Sixers are primarily composed of players that would not even warrant many minutes off of the bench. Byron Mullens, Elliot Williams, Hollis Thompson. We have been treated to the improving talents of Henry Sims and Tony Wroten while watching Michael Carter-Williams make his case for Rookie of the Year. Then, there's Thaddeus Young. The only remaining player from the Doug Collins coaching era. Young has spoken about how he wants to play on a winning team but seems willing to lead the Sixers in this rebuilding process. We will wait to see what the future holds for the Sixers, but for now, they have to focus on the next task at hand.
Tonight, the Sixers are in Houston and will be up against an NBA record no team wants to hold. Lose and tie the record. Win? Well, we will cross that bridge if we come to it. Tip-off is scheduled for 8PM.
The Houston Rockets used to be a team that brought Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady…even Steve Francis to mind. Now, they are led by NBA superstars James Harden and Dwight Howard. James Harden, fifth in the NBA in scoring with 24.9 points per game, is a threat from anywhere on the court while Howard wreaks havoc in the post. Howard, 4th in the NBA with 12.3 rebounds a game, averages a double-double and is also shooting the ball at an extremely high mark this season, 58.7%. The Rockets are coming off of a 100-89 victory over the Bobcats. Harden scored 31 points and dished out five assists while Howard contributed with 10 points and 10 rebounds. That was their fourth straight win.
The Sixers are looking to snap a 25-game losing streak. The NBA record stands at 26 and they have quite a tough task in front of them. They faced the Rockets back in November and beat them, 123-117 in overtime. Sure, they had better players at that point and James Harden didn't play, but the leading scorer was the Sixers James Anderson, who dropped 36 points. Tony Wroten, who is still out with an injury, had a triple-double in that game while Thad Young scored 15 and grabbed eight boards. The Sixers are coming off of a 113-91 loss to San Antonio.
Game Notes:
- Michael Carter-Williams is having a great March, averaging 15.2 points, 9.1 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game.
- Henry Sims is averaging 10.2 points and 7.8 rebounds over the last 10 games.
- Last season, James Harden avereaged 31 points, 6.5 assists and 5.5 rebounds against the Sixers in two meetings.
- The Rockets haven't lost at home since Jan. 24, five days before the Sixers' last win.
- The Rockets enter tonight's game 3rd in the NBA in scoring with 106.8 points per game.
Injuries
Sixers: Tony Wroten (ankle), Jason Richardson (knee) and Nerlens Noel (knee)
Rockets: No injuries to report
Starting Lineups
Sixers:
PG Michael Carter-Williams
SG James Anderson
SF Hollis Thompson
PF Thaddeus Young
C Henry Sims
Rockets:
PG Patrick Beverley
SG James Harden
SF Chandler Parsons
PF Terrence Jones
C Dwight Howard
Brandon Apter is a writer for Sixerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @ApterShock
