By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly editor 
The two teams with the worst records in the NBA meet on Sunday as the Philadelphia 76ers (9-25) visit the Brooklyn Nets (8-27) for a 12:00 p.m. matinee at the Barclays Center. The Sixers have won two of their last three games while the Nets are looking to snap a five-game losing streak.
Last Meeting:
The Sixers and Nets last played on December 18 in Philadelphia with the home team emerging victorious, 108-107. Joel Embiid scored 17 of his career-high 33 points in the third quarter and hit two crucial free throws to lift the Sixers past Brooklyn. Embiid hit 12 of his 17 shots, including two of three from downtown and seven of eight from the free throw line. This game featured Embiid chasing a loose ball into the stands, getting a rise out of the fans at Wells Fargo Center. The Sixers scored the first 11 points of the fourth quarter to take a 94-86 lead. The Nets responded with a 10-3 run with Embiid on the bench and took a 98-97 lead on a Brook Lopez jumper. Embiid ended a five-minute field goal drought with a three ball, putting the Sixers up by two, a lead they wouldn't relinquish, despite more than two efforts by Brooklyn to hit a go-ahead shot.
Noel showcased against Celtics:
After the Sixers went 1-5 with the Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor starting combination, they went back to starting Joel with Ersan Ilyasova, the pairing that has worked best for them this season. With the calendar turned to 2017, it seems like Philadelphia is ready to see what Nerlens Noel has to offer, as he has served as Embiid's primary back-up for the last two games. On Friday night in Boston, Noel got all of the back-up minutes and played a season-high 25. He made the most of his opportunity, scoring 13 points on 6-for-8 shooting to go along with eight rebounds, three blocks, two assists and two steals. Jahlil Okafor was listed as a DNP-Coach's Decision for the first time in his young NBA career.
“Because we are learning,” Brown said of the decision to sit Okafor following the Sixers' 110-106 loss to the Celtics. “It’s difficult to play three bigs in a 48-minute window. Sometimes it’s difficult to pair up two bigs. Tonight wasn’t one of those nights. We decided to rotate the group because of that.” [CSNPhilly.com]
Embiid and Noel played about 2:47 together, with Nerlens receiving a pass in the post from Joel for a dunk. Embiid scored on a floater during their time on the floor together as well.
TJ McConnell looks to continue hot streak at the point:
Philadelphia suffered their first loss with TJ McConnell as the starting point guard on Friday, but that didn't mean that the former undrafted free agent wasn't a large part of the game. McConnell tallied a career-high 17 assists in a team-high 37 minutes on the floor. He added nine points and four rebounds to his ledger in place of Sergio Rodriguez, who is still sidelined with a left ankle sprain. Sergio had hoped to play on Friday, but was ruled out after shootaround. His status for Sunday's game in Brooklyn is still up in the air.
Previous Game Rewind:
Sixers: Philadelphia saw another big lead vanish on Friday night, losing to the Boston Celtics, 110-106, on the road. The Sixers led by as many as 15, but were outscored 59-44 in the second half by the Celtics. Al Horford struggled to do anything offensively in the first half, but erupted for 11 points in the fourth quarter on Friday to lead Boston past the Sixers. Joel Embiid scored 23 points, 17 of which came in the first half, while Ersan Ilyasova added 20. Ilyasova, known for his good decisions during his tenure in Philadelphia, made two poor decisions down the stretch, rushing shots that may have cost the Sixers a win.
Nets: Brooklyn lost their fifth straight game their last time out, a 116-108 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron James scored 36 while Kyrie Irving contributed with 32 after returning from injury. Irving and Kevin Love both struggled shooting the ball, allowing the Nets to keep things relatively close through the midway point of the second quarter. James was able to pad the lead to double digits by halftime and the Cavs pretty much cruised from there on for the rest of the way. Bojan Bogdanovic led Nets scorers with 23 points.
| Matchup Preview | January 7, 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Philadelphia 76ers (9-25, 3-11 Away) |
Brooklyn Nets (8-27, 7-10 Home) |
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Game Information:
Tip-off: 12:00 p.m.
Location: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
TV: CSN
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Stream Live: CSNPhilly.com, NBC Sports Live Extra
