By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly editor 
The Philadelphia 76ers (15-27) are back in action at the Wells Fargo Center tonight as they host the Los Angeles Clippers (30-16). The big storyline heading into the next two games for the Sixers is how they will fare without rookie Joel Embiid, who will miss the next pair of games due to a left knee contusion. On the other side of the court, the Clippers will be missin Chris Paul, but Blake Griffin is expected to return after missing 18 games following surgery on his left knee in mid-December.
Philadelphia has won seven of ten in the month of January while Los Angeles has dropped two of three after winning seven straight. They trail the Warriors by 8.5 games in the Pacific Division. The Sixers remain 5.5 games out of the eighth spot in the East. Los Angeles has a nine-game win streak against Philadelphia heading into tonight's game.
Last Meeting:
Philadelphia lost both meetings to the Clippers last season with the most recent one being a 98-92 overtime loss back in February of 2016. The Sixers led by as many as 19, but Los Angeles stormed back to outscore them 49-33 in the second half and overtime. J.J. Redick hit a game-tying three with 10.5 seconds to go in regulation and L.A. took control in overtime to win. Jahlil Okafor finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and three blocks, but Philadelphia shot under 40 percent overall and 24 percent from three-point range. Redick and Jamal Crawford scored a game-high 23 a piece.
Embiid's absence opens door for Noel & Okafor:
Joel Embiid left Friday's game with a left knee contusion and is expected to sit for the next two games and return on Friday when Philadelphia hosts the Rockets. Embiid, 22, was awarded Eastern Conference Player of the Week for his efforts during the week of January 16-22 that saw him average 22 points per game and an NBA-leading 3.67 blocks per game. With the rookie sidelined, opportunity surfaces for both Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel to showcase their game.
Okafor will likely start tonight, albeit he's listed as questionable, as Brett Brown continues to let Noel lead the second unit off the bench. Jahlil started against Atlanta on Saturday and was ineffective, scoring just 12 points in 30 minutes while Noel had only four points and three rebounds in 13 minutes off the bench. If Okafor's knee continues to bother him against L.A., expect to see Richaun Holmes get some minutes as well over the next two games.
The team has struggled without Embiid, posting an 0-3 record in the last three games he's sat and 2-10 overall without him in the lineup. Their last win without him came in early December, a 97-79 win in Detroit. Okafor has 14 points and nine rebounds while Noel contributed with eight off the bench.
Griffin set to return vs. 76ers, Paul out until March:
Blake Griffin was averaging 21.2 points and 8.8 rebounds prior to needing arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies in his left knee in December and is set to make his return in Philadelphia tonight. Since the injury, L.A. has posted a 10-8 record and will be without Chris Paul for at least a month with an injured thumb. The Clippers will be happy to see Griffin back with Paul shelved. Blake has played in nine games against the Sixers in his career, averaging 17.1 points and nine rebounds while shooting 50.4 percent from the floor.
Previous Game Rewind:
Sixers: Philadelphia kept things close with Atlanta, playing to a tie after one and trailing by eight heading into the half without Joel Embiid. The Hawks pulled away in the second half though, outscoring the Sixers by nine in the second half to secure a comfortable 110-93 win. Atlanta outrebounded the Sixers by 12 (56-48) and dominated the game in the paint by 12 as well (42-30). Ersan Ilyasova led the Sixers with 23 points on 8-for-15 shooting while Robert Covington posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 boards.
Clippers: L.A.'s last game was also against the Hawks, a 115-105 win on Monday night. Austin Rivers scored 27 and Jamal Crawford broke out of a shooting slump to score 19. The Clippers hit 14 shots from beyond the arc, but saw a 24-point lead shrink to five during the second half. L.A.'s bench ourscored Atlanta's 38-13 en route to a strong team win, snapping a short two-game skid for the Clippers.
| Matchup Preview | January 24, 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Los Angeles Clippers (30-16, 13-9 Away) |
Philadelphia 76ers (15-27, 10-14 Home) |
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Game Information:
Tip-off: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
TV: CSN
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Stream Live: CSNPhilly.com, NBC Sports Live Extra app
