: sixers pic.twitter.com/ThP7O85JgP
— Philadelphia 76ers (@Sixers) January 7, 2016
There have been two distinct sides to the Philadelphia 76ers’ season, with the split coming with the addition of Ish Smith. In their last game out, Smith was the star for Philadelphia, pacing them to a 109-99 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. In 30 minutes of action, Smith led all scorers with 21 points. He also added a “dish from Ish” 11 times in total for a double-double.
Minnesota was led by Shabazz Muhammad with 20 points. The Wolves took a slim three-point advantage into the half, as the two teams struggled for separation for much of the first three quarters. Philadelphia really took control in the fourth quarter. In addition to Smith, they received an impressive 17 minutes of effort from Richaun Holmes, adding 17 points. Carl Landry made a handful of impressive mid-range shots too for extra reinforcement off the bench as Jahlil Okafor barely played late in the game. Ironically, it came on the day the Sixers signed Elton Brand to be a “veteran presence”, the role Landry had been expected to fill.
Speaking of Brand, his most recent former team will be in town to take on the Sixers tonight at The Center, the Atlanta Hawks. It starts a very tough stretch of Eastern Conference foes for Philadelphia to welcome, as they will play the top four Eastern Conference teams from last season. Last season’s top seed, Atlanta starts the stretch off tonight. Losers of the last two, the Hawks come in led by former Brett Brown co-worker in San Antonio, Mike Budenholzer.
Game Notes:
- On Monday, Jahlil Okafor made his first start since December 23, and finished 5 of 8 from the field, for 10 points.
- Smith and reserve point guard T.J. McConnell combined for 17 assists. The team in total had a season-high 31 assists.
- In their only other meeting this season, Atlanta routed the Sixers on their home floor, 127-106.
- Since Smith’s return to Philadelphia, the Sixers are averaging over 100 points per game.
- Atlanta has won 8 of the previous 9 meetings.
- In 13 minutes per game last season, Brand averaged 2.7 points per game. He is not expected to receive significant minutes for the Sixers, at least initially.
Injuries:
Atlanta: Tiago Splitter is a game-time decision with a bad knee.
Philadelphia: No injuries to report
Projected Lineups:
Atlanta:
PG- Jeff Teague
SG- Kyle Korver
SF- Kent Bazemore
PF- Paul Millsap
C- Al Horford
Philadelphia
PG- Ish Smith
SG- Nik Stauskas
SF- Jerami Grant
PF- Nerlens Noel
C- Jahlil Okafor
Game Information:
Tip-off: 7:00pm
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
TV: CSN
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
