Both the Philadelphia 76ers and the Phoenix Suns will be attempting to improve their positions in the race for the playoffs when they play each other on Saturday in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia (49-24) played the second leg of a four-game street swing on Friday, visiting Brilliant State.
Joel Embiid, a candidate for Most Valuable Player, did not show any signs of the injury to his calf that forced him to miss the second half of Chicago’s win on Wednesday. Despite Embiid’s 46 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists, Philadelphia fell short against the Warriors in a 120-112 defeat.
Due to an Achilles injury, James Harden missed the game on Friday, making it his second consecutive absence. Before that game, Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers told reporters that Harden might play again in Phoenix.
At Golden State, Danuel House Jr. was also ruled out due to a shoulder injury.
Streams dove deep in the setup, including utilizing Furkan Korkmaz, who has seen his minutes fall since from the get-go in the season. To the Philadelphia Inquirer, the coach gave Korkmaz, who played for five minutes, praise, saying, Furk has always been in the rotation, but he isn’t in the rotation right now. But at some point, guys get hot, and Furk is getting ready for the chance.”
The 76ers suffered only their third defeat in their last 13 games on Friday. However, on Friday, the Milwaukee Bucks, who are currently in first place in the Eastern Conference, and the Boston Celtics, who are currently the East champion, both defeated Philadelphia.
With nine games remaining on Philadelphia’s schedule, the Sixers now find themselves 1.5 games behind the Celtics and four behind the Bucks heading into Saturday’s second half of the weekend.
Phoenix’s battle for a playoff spot in the Western Conference was impacted by Golden State’s loss to Philadelphia.
After suffering a 135-127 defeat at Sacramento, the Suns (38-35) fell half a game behind the Los Angeles Clippers for fourth place and are now virtually tied with the Warriors for fifth place. Seven more games are left for Golden State (39-36).
The Suns have lost three straight since falling to the Kings. They have lost just two of their last eight games, going 2-6, all of which Kevin Durant missed due to an ankle injury. Deandre Ayton missed each of the last three games due to a hip injury.
In Phoenix’s three losses in a row, during which the team has given up an average of 127 points per game, Ayton’s absence has loomed defensively.
In less than eight minutes, an 11-point halftime deficit was turned into a double-digit lead thanks to the Kings’ scoring outburst. In a loss to Oklahoma City on Sunday, Phoenix allowed at least 32 points in three quarters, while the Los Angeles Lakers scored 36 and 34 points on Wednesday.
Compared to Phoenix’s defense for much of the season, the Suns’ recent defensive woes are a stark contrast. With an average of 112.1 points allowed per game, Phoenix is sixth in the league.
With 110.3 points allowed per game, Philadelphia ranks third in the league.
