Game Preview: Sixers look to put blowout behind them

What is the best part about a bad loss? That would be the only good thing, playing the next game to get the taste out of your mouth.  The next one. Tonight, Philadelphia gets a chance to put their 45-point defeat behind them. It’s also one of their final two chances to end their losing streak before the All-Star break commences on Thursday.

They will remain out on the west coast, traveling up the road to face Andre Iguodala and the Golden State Warriors. Iguodala is not putting up his usual numbers, playing a new role in Marc Jackson’s team. Philadelphia presents the perfect opponent as a “slump-buster”. Last time the met, the former Sixer dropped 32 points—more than three times his season average of 9.6.

Although it is nice to get the Clippers game behind them, Philadelphia has very little time to change up its game plan. They will need to go into the game with a much different approach than they did against Los Angeles. Obviously, it did not work well, but the Clippers, whose fans refer to them as “lob city” beat teams inside with their giant in DeAndre Jordan and the athletic power forward Blake Griffin.

That is a stark difference from the Warriors. Golden State gets by on sharp shooting, led by Steph Curry, as Andrew Bogut is not much of a scorer. They boast a tremendous three-point shooting percentage of 39%, behind only the Spurs. The 76ers are among the worst in the league in defending the three-point line, allowing 37% of opponents’ threes.

Injury Report: Brandon Davies will not play due to an injured finger, nor will Nerlens Noel and Jason Richardson, who both are recovering from torn ACLs. The Warriors’ front court is hobbled, as Bogut is questionable with a shoulder injury. That is the same injury David Lee is suffering from, and the NBA’s leader in double-doubles a year ago will not suit up for tonight’s game.

Prediction: Not as bad of a loss as last night—Warriors 115, 76ers 91.

Starting Lineups:

Philadelphia:

PG- Michael Carter-Williams

SG- Evan Turner

SF- James Anderson

PF- Thaddeus Young

C- Spencer Hawes

Golden State:

PG- Stephen Curry

SG- Klay Thompson

SF-Andre Iguodala

PF- Draymond Green

C- Jermaine O’Neal

 

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