By Josh Liddick, Sports Talk Philly Staff
The night is finally here, as the Sixers (17-27) host the Houston Rockets(34-15) on Friday. The game between the two inter-conference teams was flexed to ESPN a couple of weeks ago in anticipation of two of the biggest names, in terms of successful teams as of late, meeting. James Harden, the Rockets point guard and star player is in town and ready to try to hand the Sixers their first home loss in six games.
The Sixers will have a lot of positives to look at as they face a tough Houston team. The Sixers have beaten the Clippers and Bucks in back-to-back games without Joel Embiid on the floor, and take the momentum they have garnered with winning ten of their last thirteen games into account against the Rockets.
A win here for the Sixers on national television against a possible title contender would do wonders in improving the nation's perception on this Philadelphia franchise, as well as gain ground in the hunt for the Eastern Conference's eighth spot in the standings. They are four games out of that spot.
The Rockets have lost two straight and are 4-6 in their last ten games. They have beaten the Sixers in six straight games dating back to the 2013-14 season.
Last Meeting:
The last time these two teams met was in November, when the Sixers visited Houston and lost big, 115-88. James Harden led the Rockets' charge with 33 points and nine assists, as Trevor Ariza added 17 points, and Eric Gordon had 16. Embiid and Ersan Ilyasova were tied for game-highs in points with 13 a-piece. The Rockets were without Patrick Beverley, and the Sixers were without Nerlens Noel. The Rockets led the Sixers in every quarter, as they couldn't keep up with Houston's offensive attack.
Joel Embiid is a game-time decision:
Nothing like waiting until the very last minute to announce if or when the star of the Sixers will be making a return to the court on Friday. Embiid suffered a left knee contusion a week ago against the Portland Trail Blazers, and has been absent from basketball action since then. Embiid has missed the last three games, and has been chomping at the bit to get a chance to play. One of the main reasons why the Sixers game was flexed to ESPN was because of Embiid's presence on the court, as well as his national popularity. Embiid will be a game-time decision on Friday night as Coach Brett Brown is unsure of his likelihood to playing. If Jo-Jo doesn't play, expect to see more action from Nerlens Noel and Richaun Holmes just like against the Clippers on Tuesday night. Jahlil Okafor is also active for Friday night's game after being out with an injury on Wednesday vs. the Bucks.
Mismatch at the Point:
It's no secret that there is a mis-match when looking at the point guard position between the Rockets and the Sixers. James Harden, who is new this season to the point role, has solidified himself as one of the premiere point guards in the NBA this season, and is a prime contender for MVP this season. Harden could spend time going up against T.J. McConnell, who has shown flashes of greatness in the big action he has had this season so far, but it will be a tough task to go up against the dominant Harden. Gerald Henderson matches up a little better size-wise with Harden, at the two(SG), and could see a ton of matchups against Harden as well.
Previous Matchups:
Sixers: Well, the Sixers game against the Milwaukee Bucks was another classic Sixers come-from-behind victory, as key Bucks turnovers proved to cost them the win, as the Sixers took another win from a worthy opponent. The Bucks held a lead late, but blew the lead in the final minute, as the Sixers won 114-109. The absence of Joel Embiid was felt, especially since in last week's win vs. the Bucks, Embiid did an excellent job of staying close to Giannis Antetokounmpo and forcing him into foul trouble. This time, however, Giannis played the entire game and was a key player to get the ball to in the waning moments of the game. Gerald Henderson led Philly with 20 points on the night, Dario Saric added 17 points, and Nerlens Noel had 16 and 13 rebounds, along with a jumper to extend the Sixers' lead in the closing seconds.
Rockets: Houston has lost its last two games, but the last time out was a 120-109 loss to the Boston Celtics. Boston outscored them 32-23 in the final quarter en route to the victory. Harden had 30 points, 12 assists, and six rebounds for the Rockets, and Ryan Anderson had 19 points. The Celtics completely outplayed the Rockets in the second half, which proved to be the difference maker in handing the Rockets their 15th defeat of the season.
| Matchup Preview | January 27, 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Houston Rockets (34-15, 17-10 Away) |
Philadelphia 76ers (17-27, 11-14 Home) |
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