The Philadelphia 76ers are taking on the Los Angeles Lakers at home as they look to extend their winning streak, surviving a tough Western Conference test.
Entering their Sunday night matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers on a three-game winning streak, the Philadelphia 76ers are in a position to potentially re-establish themselves as a top team in the Eastern Conference. As of the 12:30 injury report, both Joel Embiid and Paul George were upgraded from questionable to probable, which is a great sign for Philadelphia.
The Sixers have had to play the majority of the season without two of their top players, but the Lakers aren't a team you want to be shorthanded against. Despite coming off a 21-point loss to the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles is 16-6 on the season and has been one of the best teams in the league to start the year.
The trio of Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and LeBron James is one of the scariest in the league, and they'll certainly be a handful for Philly's defense if James does play. While elite at times, the Sixers' defense has been inconsistent at times this season, and the Lakers will surely be looking to take advantage of that.
Because of this, it will be very important that at least George plays for Philadelphia, as he's been one of the best defenders on the team since returning from injury. The hustle and energy that he's brought on the defensive end has shifted the momentum at times, which would be a very valuable asset to have, even with restricted minutes.
It would also be very encouraging to see Embiid play, as it would be his second-straight game that isn't part of a back-to-back, which is originally what we thought his load management would look like. If he's able to get back to that kind of consistency on the court, it would be huge for the team, and it couldn't come at a better time.
If the Sixers were to prevail with a victory tonight, they would have a chance to extend their winning streak to five games against the 5-18 Indiana Pacers. They would also have a solid four days in between games to rest and continue to get healthy before attempting to extend their winning streak even further.
With the current state of the Eastern Conference, it's still wide open, and the Sixers could very well finish as high as the No. 1 seed. That said, it would take a lot more consistency and, frankly, a lot fewer injuries. Let's hope that they're able to survive this test against Los Angeles and prove to the league that they belong in the contender conversation.