The Philadelphia 76ers are taking on the Brooklyn Nets as they attempt to win their third straight game and keep their hot streak going.
After winning six of their last eight games, the Philadelphia 76ers are now looking to secure their third straight victory as the Brooklyn Nets roll into Philly. While this would typically be a relatively easy game, VJ Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes, and Dominick Barlow will all be out due to illness, now making it five Sixers players to miss time with an illness over the last couple of weeks.
Fortunately, however, Joel Embiid will be returning and starting alongside Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, and Paul George, so it will be eerily similar to last year's lineup. That said, given Maxey's leap in play they'll be in much better shape than they were last season.
The Nets have been awful this season, so even with the injuries, this should be a convincing win for Philly, but you never know in professional sports. It would be nice to see Embiid continue to play at a high level, especially against a bad team, as it would show that he's continuing to progress in his recovery.
Embiid is coming off a 22 and 39 point performance over his last two games and has looked much more like his old self. While his availability still isn't great, this is a fantastic sign for what he could be capable of in the playoffs if they can get him there.
This would be a big win for the Sixers despite it being a bad opponent, as they would advance to 17-11 and be in a good position to continue battling for a top seed in the East. The Celtics are currently 18-11 and sit at the No. 3 seed, and the New York Knicks are the No. 2 seed with a 20-8 record.
It'll be important to get ahead in the race as early as possible to ensure that they can stay afloat even if they experience any setbacks throughout the season. There have already been a ton of injuries so far this season, and they've faired well considering that, but they're going to have to be much more consistent if they want to reach contender status once again. Continuing their hot streak would be a great place to start to make sure that happens.