The Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets are heading into Wednesday’s game defying preseason expectations for very different reasons.
The 76ers, predicted to contend for a high playoff seed, find themselves well below .500. Meanwhile, the Nets are enjoying their best stretch of a rebuilding season. Philadelphia, currently 2-0 against Brooklyn this season, is facing the final game before the All-Star break a season-worst 13 games under .500. The team’s struggles are partly due to the inconsistent availability of key players Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George.
Unless there is a major turnaround in their remaining 29 games, the Sixers are on track to finish with their first losing record since the 2016-17 season. Philadelphia is currently on a four-game losing streak, has dropped six of seven, and is 6-14 in its past 20 games. Embiid, who played his 17th game on Tuesday, posted 27 points and 12 rebounds, but the Sixers ultimately lost 106-103 to the Toronto Raptors.
Coach Nick Nurse highlighted the team’s offensive struggles after the game, noting, “The offense is pretty clunky right now.” Embiid has yet to play in both ends of a back-to-back this season and may sit out Wednesday’s game. If Embiid is unavailable, the Sixers will lean on Maxey and George. Maxey, despite scoring at least 30 points in eight of his past 10 games, was held to a season-low five points on Tuesday. George finished with 14 points but hasn’t scored more than 15 in his past five games.
On the other hand, Brooklyn’s early-season struggles included a blowout loss to Philadelphia, part of a 1-12 skid culminating in a seven-game losing streak. Since the final game of that skid, the Nets are 5-1, with each victory featuring strong defensive performances.
In their latest game, a 97-89 home win over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday, the Nets outscored their opponents 51-35 in the second and third quarters. Nic Claxton led six Brooklyn players in double figures with 16 points. However, Claxton is questionable for Wednesday with a right ankle sprain. If he’s unavailable, Day’Ron Sharpe is expected to start at center. Sharpe contributed 14 points and nine rebounds against Charlotte and is shooting 65.7 percent over the past 11 games.
