After defeating the NBA’s best team, the Atlanta Hawks, 92-84, on Saturday, the Sixers returned to the hardwood Wednesday to play another tough Eastern Conference opponent, the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night. The Sixers found themselves in a hole, down by 11 at one point in the matchup, but found a way to erase the deficit to force overtime. Unfortunately, their offense never made the transition into overtime as they only managed to score three point in the extra frame, leading to the 105-94 loss at the hands of Chicago. The crazy stat of the night came from the Sixers shooting woes as they shot the ball 104 times throughout the night, including a franchise record 41 three-point attempts. And yet, they still couldn’t manage to break 100 points. Philadelphia, who has lost five of their last seven at home, will try to get back on track tonight as an unfamiliar foe, the Sacramento Kings, will make the long cross country trip to the city of brotherly love.
Here in Philadelphia, we don’t hear much about the Kings and what goes on out west, so here is a brief background of how Sacramento has fared so far this season. Well, they’re no on their third different coach this season, so that should tell you a lot about where this is going. With that being said, they are finally making some progress with George Karl, who is one of the NBA’s greatest coaches, and he seems like the right man for the job. Although the Kings are no longer the worst team in the state of California, they aren’t exactly near the top either, as they hold a 22-41 record and find themselves towards the bottom of the pack in the Western Conference. 41 losses means the Kings are on the verge of a ninth consecutive losing season and a loss tonight in Philadelphia would do just that, which pretty much explains the direction of the franchise over those years. Recently, the Kings are now in their seventh game of an eight game road trip that hasn’t gone so well, so they just want to go home at this point. Sacramento snapped a four-game losing streak as they defeated the Charlotte Hornets, 113-106, on Wednesday night, and will be looking to start a winning streak for the first time in almost four months tonight against the Sixers. Ben McLemore had a season-high 27 points in the winning effort on 10/16 shooting. But considering the Kings haven’t won back-to-back games since before Thanksgiving, the odds seem to be in the Sixers favor tonight.
Tonight’s game will be a must-watch for Sixers fans because this is a fantastic matchup they could definitely win and viewers will get a good look at how Nerlens Noel fares against another young dominate big-man in the league, DeMarcus Cousins. Noel has been playing outstanding basketball as of late and has displayed his growth to eyes around the league. He has been exceptional from the charity stripe and has shown tremendous improvement in his all-around game. As for DeMarcus Cousins, he has made it clear that he wants out of Sacramento, and honestly you can’t blame him, because on the court this man is one of the great young talents in the game today. He’s also coming off a fantastic performance Wednesday against Charlotte, where he notched a double-double with 20 points while hauling in 14 boards. At 6’11, 270-pounds, Cousins’ physicality down in the paint will give us an opportunity to assess Noel’s progression so far this season.
Game Notes:
- Sixers lead the all-time series, 160-122, and have won four of the last five meetings.
- Sacramento allows the NBA’s third most points per game (105.1) and the second-most made field goals per game (39.3).
- The Kings won their final meeting last season and this is their first meeting this season. Philadelphia hasn’t lost two straight versus the Kings since 2005.
- The Kings have recorded 100 or more points in five of their last six games.
- Look for the combination of Isaiah Canaan and Ish Smith to continue to be the spark for the Sixers. Ish with the speed, while Canaan nails the threes.
Projected Starters
Kings
PG- Ray McCallum
SG- Ben McLemore
SF- Rudy Gay
PF- Jason Thompson
C- DeMarcus Cousins
Sixers
PG- Isiah Canaan
SG- JaKarr Sampson
SF- Jason Richardson
PF- Luc Mbah a Moute
C- Nelrens Noel
Injury Report
Sixers- Tony Wroten (partially torn ACL in right knee, out) and Joel Embiid (right foot stress fracture, out).
Kings- Darren Collison (core muscle injury, out) and Eric Moreland (left shoulder labral tear, out).
Prediction: Expect a high scoring game with not much defense from both sides. The Kings haven’t won back-to-back games since before Thanksgiving and I don’t think that’s going to change tonight. 112-105, Sixers win!
