Tonight @ 7pm.
WATCH: @CSNPhilly
LISTEN: @975TheFanatic
STREAM: @LiveExtra
PREVIEW: https://t.co/vyjVvw5oaU pic.twitter.com/yMJhF7wuLx
— Philadelphia 76ers (@Sixers) November 9, 2015
Saturday was their chance and they may have let it slip away. Two nights ago, Philadelphia entered their game still winless and up against the Orlando Magic, who were playing on a back-to-back without Nik Vucevic. It looked like a pretty good chance for them to steal a win and avoid the conversations of “when will they finally win a game?”, much like last season.
They were hanging in there Saturday, up until Nerlens Noel questionable ejection for a Flagrant II on Jason Smith. Ultimately, they lost 105-97.
This week, a rough stretch of games is making 0-10 seem quite probable.
According to Marc Stein, no team has ever had consecutive 0-10 starts to the season. To avoid that, Philadelphia must beat either the Chicago Bulls or Toronto Raptors, two division winners from last season, at home, or either the San Antonio Spurs or Oklahoma City Thunder on the road.
Of the four games, tonight may be the easiest and it does not appear that easy as it is.
Chicago will have Derrick Rose at their disposal, which is not always the case. However, Rose is suffering from double vision after a preseason injury to his eye. It has affected his shooting tremendously. Though never known as a deadly three-point shooter, Rose was at least competent from beyond the arc. This season, he has made one three on thirteen attempts. His 36% mark from the field is by far his career worst, aside from an injury-plagued season in which he appeared in only 10 games in 2013-14.
Because of Rose’s struggles, they have been an up-and-down team, beating the likes of Cleveland and the Thunder, but losing to Charlotte and Minnesota. So it’s not crazy to say the Sixers have a chance tonight.
Game Notes:
- Despite a rather pedestrian past two games, T.J. McConnell is still in the top-5 for assists, tied at fifth with 7.5 per game. Interestingly, he is tied with Ish Smith of the Pelicans, who of course spent the final few weeks of 2014-15 with the Sixers.
- Over his past two games, McConnell has dished 13 assists but with 8 turnovers. This comes after posting a 24:1 ratio over the previous two games.
- The Bulls have won six in a row against Philadelphia, and of the last 12 meetings have a 11-1 record.
- Philadelphia shot 14-26 from the free throw line Saturday, which certainly has to improve if they want to have any chance beating teams of the Bulls’ caliber.
- Only the Wizards average more turnovers a game than the Sixers’ 18.2
Injuries:
Chicago: Mike Dunleavy is still recovering from back surgery and will remain out.
Philadelphia: Robert Covington is still recovering from a knee sprain, and will reamin out of the contest as well.
Projected Lineups:
Chicago:
PG- Derrick Rose
SG- Jimmy Butler
SF- Doug McDermott
PF- Nikola Mirotic
C- Pau Gasol
Philadelphia:
PG- T.J. McConnell
SG- Nik Stauskas
SF- JaKarr Sampson
PF- Nerlens Noel
C- Jahlil Okafor
Prediction: I think Butler will be a problem tonight, as he as to be accounted for all over the court. Bulls win 93-84.
