A night after falling to Nik Vucevic and the Orlando Magic, the Sixers (8-48) are on the road for a matchup in Detroit with the Pistons (28-29). Philadelphia will be looking to take their first game from Detroit this season after dropping two in a row to them on December 11th, 117-95, and January 27th, 110-97. The Sixers and Pistons were both involved in a trade earlier this week that ended up being voided due to a failed player physical. Philadelphia was set to receive Joel Anthony and a second-round pick as a part of the deal. If the Sixers have a chance of winning the game tonight, they'll need big contributions from Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor, who will square off against Detroit's dominant center, Andre Drummond.
On Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center, the Sixers started slow and could never recover in a 124-115 loss to the Magic. Though they found a way to lead by six at one point in the third, the Magic never really lost momentum, thanks in large part to 25-year-old Nik Vucevic. Selected by the Sixers 16th overall in the 2011 draft, Vucevic has developed into one of the better young centers in the league. He scored a season-high 35 points on 13-for-21 shooting.
Not only did the Sixers have trouble containing Vucevic, but also had issues finding energy throughout the game, trailing by as many as nine in the first quarter and 11 in the second. After trailing by just five at halftime, they took a six point lead in third, but fell behind again as the quarter concluded. The Magic ran away with things in the fourth, as the Sixers were outscored 11-2 to start the final stanza. Nerlens Noel scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds while Jahlil Okafor and Ish Smith contributed with 17 and 22 points respectively.
Meanwhile, the Pistons have lost five of their last six, but are coming off of a 96-88 win on the road against the Cavs. Detroit got 23 points from Reggie Jackson and 19 from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. The Pistons led by as many as 18 in the fourth, but Cleveland cut the lead to six before Detroit was able to hold them off and snap their own five-game losing streak. Acquired from Orlando before the trade deadline, Tobias Harris scored 14 points in his first start for the Pistons.
Detroit will be without Stanley Johnson and Anthony Tolliver as the Sixers come to visit tonight, so depth could become an issue for them. The Pistons currently trail the Bulls by two games for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Wizards, Magic and Bucks are all within four games of Detroit.
Game Notes:
- In two games against the Pistons this season, Nerlens Noel is averaging 15.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 blocks.
- During their current five-game losing streak, the Sixers are allowing opponents to score 117.2 points per game. They've allowed 124.7 over their last three games.
- Pistons center Andre Drummond has 43 points, 34 rebounds, five blocks and four steals in two matchups against Philadelphia this season.
- Sixers point guard Ish Smith scored 22 points on 7-for-15 shooting last night against the Magic, breaking out of a slump that lasted nearly a month. Over the last 10 games, he's shooting just 37.1 percent from the floor.
- In addition to having issues defending, the Sixers have got into their fair share of foul trouble. Last night, the Magic made 36-of-41 from the free throw line. The Sixers went 19-for-26.
Projected Lineups:
Sixers
PG – Ish Smith - 14.9 ppg, 7.5 apg
SG – Nik Stauskas - 7.6 ppg, 1.8 apg
SF – Robert Covington - 11.5 ppg, 1.6 spg
PF – Jahlil Okafor - 17.4 ppg, 7.2 rpg
C – Nerlens Noel - 11.0 ppg, 8.2 rpg
Injuries: Joel Embiid (broken right foot, out)
Pistons
PG – Reggie Jackson - 19.4 ppg, 6.1 apg
SG – Kentavious Caldwell-Pope - 14.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg
SF – Tobias Harris - 13.8 ppg, 6.9 rpg
PF – Marcus Morris - 13.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg
C – Andre Drummond - 16.9 ppg, 14.9 rpg (leads NBA)
Injuries: Stanley Johnson (right shoulder sprain, questionable), Spencer Dinwiddie (right ankle sprain, doubtful), Anthony Tolliver (right knee sprain, out), Jodie Meeks (fractured fifth metatarsal, right foot, out)
Game Information:
Tip-off: 7:30PM
Location: The Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, Michigan
TV: Comcast Sportsnet Philadelphia
Radio: 97.5FM The Fanatic
Live Stream: NBA League Pass, NBC Sports Live Extra
Brandon Apter is a Managing Editor for Sixerdelphia.com
