Who's in and who's out for Thursday's game between the Philadelphia 76ers and Houston Rockets?
The Philadelphia 76ers (36-36) are facing off against the Houston Rockets (50-29) on Thursday night at 8 PM ET in Toyota Center.
Philadelphia enters this contest after a Monday evening loss to the San Antonio Spurs, 115-102. 76ers superstar center Joel Embiid was the only player on the team above the 20-point mark in that matchup, recording 34 points on 8 of 19 shooting. Before falling short to San Antonio, the Sixers emerged victorious in two of their last four games.
Meanwhile, the Rockets have been on a tear as of late, winning their last seven games. The victories have come against the Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, Utah Jazz, Golden State Warriors, and most recently the Phoenix Suns.
Here is the injury report for 76ers-Rockets:
76ERS
Johni Broome: Out - Right Knee; Surgery Recovery
Tyrese Maxey: Available - Right Finger; Tendon Strain - Splint
Cameron Payne: Out - Right Hamstring; Strain
ROCKETS
Steven Adams: Out - Left Ankle; Surgery
Fred VanVleet: Out - Right Knee; ACL Repair
This is an important late season, where both teams are at near-full strength. The Rockets remain without VanVleet and Adams, but they are accustomed to playing with those two sidelined. The 76ers are fully healthy with the exception of Payne, meaning Kyle Lowry could see a few meaningful minutes as Philadelphia's fourth guard.
This is a must-win game for the Sixers, as it could very well determine whether they end up a playoff team or in the Play-In Tournament. Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George are healthy, so emerging victorious even against a strong Houston team is well within the realm of possibilities.
Expect this to be a matchup of Houston's lockdown defense versus the high-scoring Philadelphia offense.
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