The Philadelphia 76ers hold a 25-16 record halfway through the 2022-23 regular season. Next, the Sixers visit the Utah Jazz (22-23) on Saturday night for the first game of a five-game road trip that brings them to Los Angeles to play the Lakers (19-23) the next night.
The Jazz will be playing the second half of a home back-to-back when they welcome the Sixers. Utah defeated the Orlando Magic, 112-108, on Friday.
Offseason trade acquisition Lauri Markkanen scored a game-high 28 points with 12 rebounds and leads Utah in both categories this season. Jordan Clarkson posted 23 points and 12 assists, while rookie center Walker Kessler tallied 13 points, nine rebounds, and a game-high seven blocked shots.
Mike Conley (rest), Kelly Olynyk (left ankle sprain), and Udoka Azubuike (health & safety protocols) did not play for the Jazz against Orlando, but Collin Sexton (hamstring) and Talen Horton-Tucker (right ankle sprain) were able to suit up. The injury report on Friday evening included Tobias Harris (questionable - left knee soreness) on the Sixers’ side.
In the first meeting between the Sixers and Jazz on Nov. 15, five-time NBA All-Star starter Joel Embiid posted a career-high 59 points with 11 rebounds (game high), eight assists (tied game high), seven blocks (game high), and a steal in 37 minutes. The Sixers won, 105-98.
Just 24 hours earlier, Embiid tallied 42 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, two steals, and two blocks in a win over Atlanta.
The Sixers aim to get back in the win column to start the road swing, after falling to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (37 points) and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday.
“You don’t want to have too many of these games,” Georges Niang said postgame. “I don’t want to say they happen. I mean, these are self-inflicted wounds. When you give up four 30-point quarters, it’s going to be hard to win anything any night. Obviously, we wanted to get this win to end the homestand, and go on the road and kind of keep it rolling. But we didn’t and we’ve got to regroup. We’ve got Utah on Saturday, and a five-game stint on the West Coast, so we’ve got to take care of business out there.”
“It's going to be good for us,” Tyrese Maxey said of the trip, and being at full strength for it. “We'll get to bond with each other... You have to lean on your brothers. I think it will be good for us. Not just the starters – us as a team, as a whole. Being on the road, playing five tough games, and trying to go out there and win as much as we can.”
This next matchup features a top-5 offense against a top-5 defense. Through Thursday’s games, the Jazz were fourth in the NBA in offensive rating (116.0) and the Sixers were fourth in defensive rating (110.2). The Sixers also ranked eighth in offensive rating (114.3).
Saturday is a 9 p.m. ET start in Salt Lake City.
When We Last Saw Them:
Joel Embiid
James Harden
Tyrese Maxey
Tobias Harris
Georges Niang
76ers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: Jan. 12, 2023
1 / 6PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 12: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers in action against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Wells Fargo Center on January 12, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
@Sixers Social:
Quote to Note:
76ers Head Coach Doc Rivers after Joel Embiid's career performance against the Jazz in mid-November...
“I’ve seen guys score a lot of points. I haven’t seen guys score a lot of points, rebound – and then the blocked shots. That was impressive. He was getting everything. I’ve never seen a more dominating performance when you look at both offense and defense.”