After a much needed day off on Tuesday, the 76ers will go into Wednesday’s matchup with fresher legs to try and put an end to their recent skid. The team has lost seven of their previous eight, which is how they followed-up a four game road winning streak, which included a victory against the Portland Trail Blazers.
They will meet a team that is also trending in the same direction, downward, in the New York Knicks. New York is in the midst of an eight-game home stand that has gotten off to a horrible start and has dropped them to 11th in the Eastern Conference—just two games ahead of the Sixers.
The two teams will meet for the second time this month. Just 11 days ago, the Knicks topped Philadelphia with a 102-92 victory at the Wells Fargo Center. Amar’e Stoudemire was the difference in the game, contributing 21 points off the bench in 22 minutes. He will not play in the game today, so the Sixers catch a break in that regard.
Spencer Hawes is coming off a solid inside game for the Sixers. In Washington on Monday, he recorded his 15th double-double, including a season-high 16 rebounds. Head Coach Brett Brown will likely be counting on him to handle Tyson Chandler inside and secure rebounds.
Speaking of players Brown will count on, Michael Carter-Williams figures to be on the top of that list. The rookie has been the most productive 76er and tried putting the team on his back on Monday, at one point having 25 of their first 60 points. As the rebuilding season has gone on, one thing has become clear: for the Sixers to have any chance to win, Carter-Williams likely needs to have a big game.
Finally, Philadelphia must clean up its horrendous three-point shooting of late. The team has made just 8 of 57 (19%) three-pointers in their most recent losing streak. They are wasting possessions and put themselves in position to not have a chance to keep up with teams when they shoot that poorly. If they want to have any shot tonight, they need to improve that rate.
Projected Starters:
Philadelphia:
PG- Carter-Williams
SG- Turner
SF- J. Anderson
PF- T. Young
C- Hawes
New York:
PG- Felton
SG- Prigioni
SF- Shumpert
PF- Anthony
C- Chandler
Injury Notes: Tony Wroten is not expected to play after spraining his ankle on Saturday. Brandon Davies and Arnett Moultrie are day-to-day with respective finger and ankle injuries. As mentioned, Stoudemire will not play, but the Knicks expect Metta World-Peace to return tonight after missing the previous 12 games with a knee injury.
Prediction: In an ugly game, the Knicks take it late as they have more offensive weapons. 96-91 Knicks.
