Sixers
Depleted Sixers host Nets with five games remaining
Published04 Apr 2017
Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly editor 
The Philadelphia 76ers (28-49) play host to the Brooklyn Nets (18-59) this evening at the Wells Fargo Center. With only five games left in the 2016-17 season, the Sixers have nearly tripled their win total from a year ago despite being without the services of Joel Embiid since January. The recent injury bug has allowed some younger guys from the D-League to get some NBA minutes and is also paving way for guys like Richaun Holmes, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Shawn Long, but the recent news about Robert Covington's meniscus has made a big impact both offensively and defensively.
Brooklyn comes into tonight's match-up looking for their third straight win while the Sixers are aiming to snap a three-game losing streak against tough Eastern Conference teams.
Previous Meeting:
The Sixers and Nets played not too long ago, six days to be exact, and Philadelphia emerged with a 106-101 win. Following a jumper from Jeremy Lin to make it a 96-95 Nets advantage, the Sixers put together a 10-5 run to close out their 11th road win of the year, a big feat for a team that had nine road wins combined between the prior two seasons. The Sixers were led offensively by Robert Covington, who posted a 21-point, 13-rebound effort, and Dario Saric, who finished the game with 23 points and seven boards in 37 minutes. The Nets were powered by Brook Lopez with 26 points and nine rebounds while also going 3-for-7 from beyond the arc.
Sixers make history with Saric's Rookie of the Month award
Dario Saric was named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for games played in March on Monday, his second straight month winning the award. Sixers rookies have swept the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors in each month this season with Joel Embiid taking it home in the first three months of the 2016-17 campaign. It's the first time in NBA history that a team has had multiple players win multiple Rookie of the Month awards. Saric, 22, played in 17 games for the Sixers in March, posting averages of 18.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 43.4 percent from the floor. He led the entire rookie class in scoring and field-goals made and ranked second in rebounds among first-year players.
Orlando Magic interested in Saric?
On Monday, it looks like the Orlando Magic may have accidentally tweeted out their offseason plan. Everything from free agent targets to trades.
I believe the Orlando Magic accidentally tweeted out their trade and free agent targets on the white board pic.twitter.com/pCJh3CjJDu
— Stefan Bondy (@SBondyNYDN) April 4, 2017
If you look at the column on the left and down the list, you'll see a familiar name, Saric. In parenthesis, it says (For AG?). Obviously, there's no telling if the Magic have reached out to the Sixers about the Croatian rookie, but it seems like he is one of their potential offseason targets via trade. According to Tom Moore of Calkins Media, the Sixers haven't discussed any sort of trade involving Dario. Let's not forget that Sam Hinkie acquired the rights to Saric on draft night 2014 in exchange for point guard Elfrid Payton.
Sixers Draft Pick Updates
With the season winding down, plenty of fans have their eyes on what the Lakers, Kings and Suns are doing, as they all affect where the Sixers could pick when draft day hits in June. As of Tuesday morning, per Derek Bodner, the Sixers have a 13.1 percent chance at landing the top overall pick, a 41.4 percent chance at getting a top-3 pick and a 30.8 percent chance at two top-5 picks. The Kings currently have one more win than the Sixers and the Lakers are the third worst team in the league at this point with a 22-55 record after owning the second-worst record for the majority of the year. The Suns are now in that spot.
Lopez approaching Nets history
In his ninth season in the NBA and with the Nets, center Brook Lopez is approaching a historical mark in the franchises history. After a 29-point effort in a win against the Hawks the last time out, Lopez is only 60 points away from tying Buck Williams' franchise record (10, 440). In 558 career games, Lopez is averaging 18.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game and is posting a career-high in scoring this season with 20.8 points per game.
| Matchup Preview | April 4, 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Brooklyn Nets (18-59, 6-31 Away) |
Philadelphia 76ers (28-49, 17-20 Home) |
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Game Information:
Tip-off: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
TV: TCN
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
