By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Tip-off: 8:00 pm ❖ Location: Philadelphia, PA ❖ TV: TNT ❖ Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
The Sixers (25-25) will be back in action tonight for the first time since a Saturday loss in Indiana. Coming to Philadelphia will be the Washington Wizards (31-22), a team that has been successful as of late, even without star point guard John Wall.
The city of Philadelphia is still on a high after the Eagles upset the Patriots on Sunday for their first Super Bowl victory in franchise history. Led by Doug Pederson and Nick Foles, the Eagles topped one of the best coaching/quarterback duo's in NFL history by a final score of 41-33. Joel Embiid attended the game with teammate Justin Anderson and you have to imagine that the experience will motivate the young Sixers even more after seeing how the city reacted after the clock hit zero on Sunday night.
It's only right for the Sixers to have some Eagles players in attendance tonight. Brandon Brooks, Lane Johnson, Jason Kelce, Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Stefen Wisniewski, and Jason Peters will ring the ceremonial bell prior to tip-off. In addition to the offensive line, many other members of the Eagles organization are expected to be in attendance.
Wizards rolling without Wall
Washington lost All-Star point guard John Wall to a knee injury last week, but in the five games since he's been sidelined they are 5-0 with notable wins against the Thunder, Raptors and Pacers. They also defeated the Hawks and Magic during the streak. During their five-game win streak, the Wiz have shot over 51 percent from the floor and have assisted on nearly 74 percent of their field goals.
Bradley Beal has shouldered a lot of the scoring load without Wall, averaging 21 points, 6.2 assists and 4.8 rebounds over the last five games, shooting 48.1 percent from the floor. Otto Porter Jr. has also been a big part of Washington's offensive efforts, averaging 18.4 points on 55.7 percent shooting during the team's five-game winning streak.
"With John out of the game, we have to find other ways to score," said Wizards coach Scott Brooks. "John gets so many easy shots for our guys and we do not have that. We do not have his speed in transition, we do not have his breakability, playmaking on pick-and-roll plays, and we have to make adjustments."
Wall is expected to miss six to eight weeks after undergoing knee surgery last week.
Expect Sixers point guard Ben Simmons to be extra aggressive without having Wall guarding him tonight. The Sixers rookie is averaging 18.4 points on 60.6 percent shooting over the last five games.
Sixers aim to keep pace in standings
The Sixers have lost four of their last five games with three of those four defeats coming at the hands of teams ahead of them in the Eastern Conference standings (Bucks, Heat, Pacers). Tonight, they face the No. 4 seed in the East with Washington, but they have to start keeping an eye on who is below them in the standings as well. Winning games like the ones tonight, especially at home against playoff teams, will be integral if they hope to achieve their goal of making the postseason.
Currently, Philadelphia sits in the No. 8 seed in the East at 25-25 with the Detroit Pistons right below them at 26-26. The Sixers own the head-to-head tiebreaker over Detroit, but since the addition of Blake Griffin, the Pistons are a much more dangerous team. They've won four in a row, three since acquiring Griffin, and a frontcourt with Blake and Andre Drummond is one capable of making a serious push into the playoff picture in the East. 3.5 games behind the Sixers and Pistons are the Charlotte Hornets (23-30). They have won three of their last four.
The Sixers are in control of their own destiny. Detroit is right on their tail, but Philadelphia remains well within striking distance of teams ahead of them, trailing the No. 5 seed Bucks by just three games.
Trade Deadline Looming
The NBA trade deadline is set for February 8 at 3:00 p.m. EST and the Sixers have been mentioned in some talks with a few teams. According to ESPN as of Tuesday morning, the league views the Sixers as buyers, but they have only one extra first-round pick left, so that might limit their purchasing power to whatever they can nab for second-rounders.
Here's a look at who the Sixers have been linked to over the past week or so:
Jan 31 – Sixers have expressed interest in Grizzlies' Tyreke Evans
Feb 2 – Sixers showing interest in Lou Williams
Feb 2 – Sixers 'keeping tabs' on Hawks guard Belinelli
Feb 5 – Sixers interested in Hawks center Dwayne Dedmon
Feb 6 – Sixers among front-runners for Tyreke Evans
Even if the Sixers are viewed as buyers as the deadline approaches, it seems unlikely that Bryan Colangelo would surrender a first-round pick for Evans or Williams, especially since they are on expiring contracts. Both Marco Belinelli and Dwayne Dedmon can probably be acquired for a second-round pick or two, but adding Dedmon doesn't make a whole lot of sense on a team that has bigger needs in the backcourt.
Projected Lineups
| Matchup Preview | February 6, 2018 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Washington Wizards (31-22, 14-13 Away) |
Philadelphia 76ers (25-25, 13-10 Home) |
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