The Philadelphia 76ers (31-16) – winners of six straight games and 19 of their last 23 – meet the Western Conference-leading Denver Nuggets (34-15) in their next game, a Saturday showdown in South Philadelphia slated for 3 p.m. ET.
Joel Embiid is the NBA’s leading scorer, averaging 33.4 points per game along with 9.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.7 blocked shots for the East’s second-place squad in the Sixers. Two-time reigning league MVP Nikola Jokić of the Nuggets currently posts 25.1 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 9.9 assists per contest.
Denver fell to the Milwaukee Bucks, 107-99, without Jokić on Wednesday. Aaron Gordon tallied 26 points and 14 rebounds, while Wilmington, Delaware native Bones Hyland added 15 points off the bench in the loss.
The injury report on Friday afternoon listed Embiid as questionable due to left foot soreness, as well as the following Nuggets: Jokić (probable - left hamstring tightness), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (probable - right wrist sprain), Jamal Murray (questionable - left hip sprain), Bruce Brown (questionable - left knee inflammation), Collin Gillespie (out - right lower leg fracture), and Jack White (out - left adductor strain).
The Sixers enter the game coming off a 137-133 home victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, in front of what 76ers Head Coach Doc Rivers described as a “boxing crowd” because of the matchup.
“Sixers fans, you know they’re always like that,” Embiid said postgame. “That’s what they bring every single game. That’s the reason why you love playing in Philly because they show up and are passionate. When you’re losing, they’re going to let you know. When you’re winning, they’re also going to let you know about it. So, I think the passion is the same.”
It was the fourth time in team history that the Sixers shot at least 50-percent (.512) from the floor, 45-percent (.474) from 3-point range, and 95-percent (.972, 35-for-36) from the free-throw line in a single game. Brooklyn registered final totals of .645 from the floor and .538 from three in defeat.
“I think, if you’re a fan, it was a very exciting game,” 76ers Assistant Coach Dave Joerger said after Friday’s practice. “Just a lot of great plays, a lot of shot-making, and it’s certainly exciting that we got the win.”
Both the Sixers and the Nuggets rank in the top five of the NBA for Net Rating, which measures a team’s point differential per 100 possessions: No. 3 Denver (4.2) and No. 5 Philadelphia (4.1).
“We have a dominant big man. They have a dominant big man,” Joerger said. “It’s a matchup you sit up in your seat for to watch Joel and Jokić play against each other. And obviously they’re number one in the West and we feel like we have a good team as well, so it should be a heck of a game.”
The Sixers’ homestand continues with two games against the Orlando Magic (Monday and Wednesday) after the Nuggets over the weekend.
Saturday is a 3 p.m. start.
Wednesday’s Top Performances:
The Sixers improved to 11-0 this season when at least six players score in double figures.
76ers vs. Brooklyn Nets: Jan. 25, 2023
1 / 6PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JANUARY 25: Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts after scoring during the fourth quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Wells Fargo Center on January 25, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
@Sixers Social:
Quote to Note:
Tyrese Maxey on coming off the bench:
“I just want to go out there and play, honestly. I was out for however long – seven, eight weeks – I don’t even know how much it was. It doesn’t matter. Sixth man, eighth man, I don’t care. I just want to go out there and play, but it’s a little bit different because of who’s on the floor… You know when James and Joel are on the court, they’re so dominant in their two-man game that whoever’s on the court has to be ready to shoot the ball. Teams are trying to take their two-man game away and then when they’re off the court, I just try to go out there and be as aggressive as I can and help us get into offense and get shots for the guys or for myself.”
Follow Along Saturday (3 p.m.):
