By Josh Liddick, Sports Talk Philly Staff
The Philadelphia 76ers(23-40) are back in action on Thursday night as they are on the road in Portland against the Trail Blazers(27-35). The Sixers are about to start a road trip that includes 11 away contests in 13 games. Eight of the teams the Sixers face in that stretch are currently locked into playoff spots at the moment.
Needless to say, the injury infested Sixers squad has a tall order in this difficult stretch of games, and the chances of winning ballgames are getting slimmer and slimmer as the days go by.
The Sixers are in the middle of a complete downward spiral with hardly any hope in the distance. The team has lost five of their last six games including a terrible 30-point loss to the Pistons last weekend, and an uninspiring performance against the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night. Plagued by injuries, the Sixers have been relying on Dario Saric more than ever before to lead this team. Even Dario's recent successes are difficult for a team to succeed off of.
It's tough to imagine a scenario where the Sixers don't face an issue against this Portland team on Thursday night, given the Blazers have won their last three games including two big wins against Russell Westbrook's Oklahoma City Thunder. The Sixers will hope that past successes against the team and the couple days off will bode well for the franchise.
Last Meeting:
Not many people should be able to forget the last time these two teams squared off back on January 20 at the Wells Fargo Center. The Sixers got a buzzer-beating three pointer from Robert Covington to come away with the unbelievable 93-92 victory over the Blazers.
The Sixers were in the midst of their January push, and they did a great job defeating a struggling western opponent. Joel Embiid had 18 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks. Covington had a total of 22 points, including that elusive game-winner. The Blazers got a stellar night from Damian Lillard who had 30 points for the team.
Okafor questionable to play:
Sixers center Jahlil Okafor is questionable to play on Thursday night due to knee soreness. Okafor has missed the last two games due to the minor injury and had been left out for precautionary reasons. The center has had his issues defensively this season, but his absence as of late has been a problem for the team, and a main reason for losses in five of their last six games.
Richaun Holmes has been ruled out of Thursday's game as well, so Okafor would surely be playing a significant role if healthy. Shawn Long, recently acquired from the D-League, played well against Milwaukee on Monday, and could find playing time in Holmes' absence.
Previous Game Rewind:
Sixers: The Sixers have been struggling obviously, with losses in five of their last six games. They are looking for any possible way to get a win, and a win at the start of a wickedly tough road trip would be an ideal way to begin. Philly lost to the Bucks 112-96 in their last game. The Bucks avenged the previous two defeats to the Sixers successfully. Justin Anderson, who is a key-player in tonight's game, had a career-high 19 points after shooting 9-of-16 from the field. Dario Saric impressed again with 14 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. A poor first half derailed the Sixers as the Bucks pulled away with the big victory at the Center.
Trail Blazers: The Blazers got a HUGE victory over the Thunder on Tuesday night. Portland has beaten OKC in two of their last three games. Notably, the Blazers won the game 126-121 and overcame Russell Westbrook's career high 58 points. Lillard had 22 points and eight assists, while C.J. McCollum put in 21 points. Allen Crabbe had 23 points off the bench and had five three-pointers.
| Matchup Preview | March 9, 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
@ |  |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Philadelphia 76ers (23-40, 8-21 Away) |
Portland Trailblazers (27-35, 16-13 Home) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
