Game 14 Preview: Sixers look for 4th straight home win against Whiteside, Heat

By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers (3-10) and center Joel Embiid will square off against the Miami Heat (4-8) Monday evening at the Wells Fargo Center, their first of four meetings of the 2016-17 regular season.

The Heat enter having won each of their last two games, snapping a six-game skid, while the Sixers are coming off of a 120-105 win over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday. It was the Sixers' most points scored in a game since putting up 123 against the Detroit Pistons on March 29, 2014, according to philly.com's Keith Pompey.

The Sixers have won three straight games at home. Monday's matchup against the Heat will be the second of a five-game home stretch for head coach Brett Brown's team.

"The Process"

Despite being questionable with a mild ankle sprain entering Saturday's game, and being held out of Sunday's practice, Embiid is set to earn his 10th starting nod against the Heat.

The 22-year-old Cameroon native scored a career-high 26 points in the Suns victory — with seven rebounds and a pair of assists and blocks each — through 20 minutes. As Pompey notes, Embiid currently leads all rookies in scoring (18.0), rebounds (7.6) and blocks (2.2), well on his way to earning Eastern Conference rookie of the month honors for October/November.

Embiid (7'-0", 275) will match up against five-year veteran Hassan Whiteside (7'-0", 265), who respectively ranks first and second in the NBA in rebounds per game (16.2) and blocks per game (2.75). Whiteside has grabbed double figures in rebounds in each of the Heat's 12 games this season, the longest current streak in the NBA and in franchise history.

On the Move

The Sixers assigned rookie guard Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot to the Delaware 87ers (D-League affiliate) on Monday. Luwawu-Cabarrot is averaging 5.1 minutes, 1.7 points, 0.4 rebounds and 0.2 assists through nine games this season. He and guard Jerryd Bayless, who is listed as questionable to make his Sixers debut against the Heat, were previously added from the 87ers last Wednesday.

Bayless will go through pregame warmups and will be evaluated before his status is finalized.

Matchup Preview | November 21, 2016
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Miami Heat (4-8, 2-3 Away)		Philadelphia 76ers (3-10, 3-5 Home)
Stats Comparison (NBA RANK) 96.2 (27) Points Per Game 97.8 (24) 96.6 (3) PPG Allowed 108.2 (25) .427 (27) Field Goal % .437 (24) .656 (30) Free Throw % .719 (28) .350 (15) 3-Point % .351 (14) 45.9 (6) Rebounds Per Game 42.2 (28) 6.4 (3) Blocks Per Game 5.5 (7) 7.5 (19) Steals Per Game 8.4 (9) 13.4 (13) Turnovers Per Game 16.7 (29) Projected Starters Goran Dragic Point Guard Sergio Rodriguez Dion Waiters Shooting Guard Gerald Henderson Josh Richardson Small Forward Robert Covington Derrick Williams Power Forward Ersan Ilyasova Hassan Whiteside Center Joel Embiid Injury Report Chris Bosh, out (blood clots)   Jerryd Bayless, questionable (left wrist soreness) Wayne Ellington, questionable (right thigh contusion)   Nerlens Noel, out (inflamed plica, left knee) Willie Reed, out (hyperextended right knee)   Ben Simmons, out (acute fracture, right foot) Justise Winslow, out (sore left wrist)   Joel Embiid, probable (mild left ankle sprain) Dion Waiters, questionable (groin)

Game Information:

• Tip-off: 7 p.m.
• TV: CSN
• Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic

Head-to-Head:

• All-time:
  • Overall: Heat, 56-53
  • Home (in Philadelphia): Sixers, 32-22
  • Away (in Miami): Heat, 34-21
  • Sixers, PPG: 96.1; Heat, PPG: 97.1
• Streak: Heat (W5)

What's Next:

• Wednesday, Nov. 23: vs. Memphis Grizzlies; 7 p.m.; TV: CSN, Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
• Friday, Nov. 25: vs. Chicago Bulls; 7:30 p.m.; TV: CSN, Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
• Sunday, Nov. 27: vs. Cleveland Cavaliers; 1 p.m.; TV: CSN, Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic