By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Tip-off: 7:00 pm ❖ Location: Philadelphia, PA ❖ TV: NBCSP, NBA TV ❖ Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
The Philadelphia 76ers (43-30) go for their eighth straight win tonight as the New York Knicks (27-48) visit the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday night. Philadelphia leads the season series over New York 3-0 with the Christmas Day game providing the most competition from both sides.
Since December 25, the two teams have gone two different directions. The Sixers have gone 28-12 while the Knicks are 10-32, mostly due to the loss of Latvian big man, Kristaps Porzingis. Philadelphia comes into tonight's game winners of seven in a row while New York has lost eight of their last 11 games.
The playoff picture in the East is becoming clearer by the day and the Sixers continue to ascend the standings thanks to their ability to take advantage of a weak schedule down the final stretch of the season. A month ago, we were talking about the chances of being the seventh or eighth seed, but now the third seed is well within reach.
Miami routed LeBron James and the Cavs on Tuesday night and Cleveland plays the second game of a back-to-back tonight against the Hornets. A Sixers win tonight paired with a Cleveland loss would put Philadelphia in sole possession of the three seed. If the Sixers win and Cavs win, they will be tied for the third spot. A Sixers loss would and Cavs loss would keep them a half game back while a loss and Cavs win would put the Sixers a full game back.
Last time out, the Sixers took care of the playoff-hopeful Denver Nuggets at home, 123-104, in a game that featured the unexpected return of rookie Markelle Fultz. After missing 68 games due to a mysterious shoulder injury, head coach Brett Brown told the media prior to the game that he'd be playing and it was an emotional night for fans and players alike. The 2017 No. 1 overall pick played 14 minutes and scored 10 points, dished out eight assists and grabbed four rebounds.
After trailing at halftime, the Sixers held Denver to just 15 points in the third quarter, continuing their trend of strong second half defense. Since February 1, the Sixers lead the league in fewest third quarter points allowed per game, holding the opposition to just 21.9 points over 25 games in that span. They have allowed the fewest points per game in the 2nd half since Feb. 1 as well (47.8).
Dario Saric and Joel Embiid each scored 20 points in under 30 minutes each while Ben Simmons finished three points shy of his 11th triple double (7 points, 11 assists, 13 rebounds).
On the other side of the court, the Knicks are coming off of a 137-128 loss at the hands of the Hornets in overtime. After falling behind in the first half, New York bounced back in the final two quarters, outscoring Charlotte 68-55 to force overtime. The Hornets won the extra session 20-11, thanks to 11 points from Kemba Walker, sending the Knicks to their third loss in the last four games. Trey Burke erupted for the Knicks, tallying 42 points and 12 assists on 19-for-31 shooting. Michael Beasley finished with 27 points and eight rebounds.
| Matchup Preview | March 28, 2018 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
@ |  |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New York Knicks (27-48, 9-30 Away) |
Philadelphia 76ers (43-30, 25-11 Home) |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
