By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly editor 
The Philadelphia 76ers (6-20) look to get back on track this evening as they play host to the Brooklyn Nets (7-18). The Sixers have lost their last two and 10 of their last 12 while the Nets have dropped six of their last eight games. Philadelphia has lost their lost eight at home while Brooklyn has lost eight in a row on the road.
Heading into Sunday's game, the Sixers have their big man issue to deal with all three centers healthy. On Friday, Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor got 29 and 24 minutes, respectively, while Nerlens Noel played just eight minutes. After the game, the fourth-year center out of Kentucky said the team needs to "figure this sh–" out and that there is too much on Brett Brown's plate. We'll see how the coach divvies up the minutes against Brooklyn.
Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor are expected to start together once again.
Last Meeting:
The Sixers and Nets split four games last season with Brooklyn prevailing 131-114 in the final meeting. Philadelphia beat them at home four days prior. During the 17-point loss in the most recent game back in March, Bojan Bogdanovic erupted for 44 points and the Nets got out to a 32-15 lead, one they would not relinquish. Isaiah Canaan led the Sixers with 20 points while Ish Smith, Nik Stauskas and Nerlens Noel both finished with 18.
Former 87er Kilpatrick Leading the Nets:
The focal point for the Nets offense has been former Delaware 87er Sean Kilpatrick. Over the past few seasons, the Sixers have done their best to try and get premiere young talent through the draft and while they had some placeholders, they passed upon Kilpatrick after he led the D-League in scoring last season and played as a part of their Summer League squad back in 2014. After signing a 10-day deal last season with the Nets, Kilpatrick impressed enough people to get a multi-year deal just a short time after that. This season, Kilpatrick is averaging 16.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, shooting 43.6 percent from the floor. The 26-year-old combo guard commented on what could have been if he got a chance with the Sixers with they way they look this season.
"Oh yeah," he said, "especially with that team that they have now with the guys that they have surrounding the program with Joel [Embiid] being there and Ben [Simmons] being there." [Philly.com]
Olympic Teammates Meet:
For the first time in the NBA, Croatian Olympic teammates Bojan Bogdanovic and Dario Saric will go head-to-head. While Saric is in more of a reserve role, it will be a unique experience for two guys that have experience playing on the same team. Bogdanovic is averaging just over 15 points per game while Saric is averaging 9.5 points and 5.7 rebounds.
Previous Game Rewind:
Sixers: Philadelphia never got into any sort of rhythm on Friday, allowing L.A. to start the game on a 13-0 run. The Sixers would fight back to get to within seven in the fourth quarter, but costly turnovers and defensive hiccups proved costly down the stretch. Their long range shooting was awful and even though shots weren't going down, they continued to throw them up from three-point land rather than try and drive the ball to the basket. They made all but 25 of their 31 shots from beyond the arc.
Nets: Brooklyn is coming off of a 118-111 loss to the Magic thanks to Orlando forward Evan Fournier going off and scoring 11 straight points in the forth, including a decisive three-pointer down the stretch. Brook Lopez led the way for Brooklyn with 22 points while Jeremy Lin scored 17 off the bench and was the only Nets player to score in the final three minutes.
| Matchup Preview | December 18, 2016 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Brooklyn Nets (7-18, 1-11 Away) |
Philadelphia 76ers (6-20, 4-13 Home) |
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Game Information:
Tip-off: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
TV: TCN
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Stream Live: CSNPhilly.com, NBC Sports Live Extra
