Just as things were looking more normal for the Sixers, we got some unexpected news. Because these are still your Philadelphia 76ers… After a couple of solid wins last week, we heard that Paul George has been suspended 25 games for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy.
Nevertheless, the Sixers are at least entering a new week on a 3-0 win streak. And to kick off February, they’re facing the Clippers as they head to L.A. on Monday to begin their West Coast road trip.
The injury report is a short one
for Philly. Joel Embiid is probable to play with right ankle injury management, and everyone else is available. For the Clippers, the big name to keep an eye on (apart from Bradley Beal who remains out for the season after undergoing hip surgery) is James Harden, who’s been day-to-day for personal reasons and was out on Sunday. We’ll have to wait until near tip-off to see the availability of Harden and the rest of the team.
The Clippers are going to be a bit of a shift from the Sixers’ latest outing against one of the worst teams in the league (New Orleans) on Saturday. After various injuries and a slow start hurt the Clippers to begin the season, they’ve been surging over the last six weeks. They now have the best record in the NBA since Dec. 20 at 17-4, boasting the league’s third-best offense and third-best net rating (+8.7) in this stretch.
One factor in the Sixers’ favor heading into Monday’s game is that they at least have the rest advantage, as the Clippers will be on the second night of a back-to-back after playing the Suns on Sunday (albeit cruising to a 117-93 win).
Kawhi Leonard has somewhat surprisingly just missed out on the All-Star game, but has been having a phenomenal season. To go along with his 6.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.0 steals per game, the 34-year-old is averaging a career-high 27.6 points on his second-best true shooting percentage (62.5) ever. He’s taking significantly more threes than he has before too at 7.1 attempts a game, and still making them at a 39.1 percent clip. Adding that confident, high-volume threat from distance to go along with his efficiency at the rim and mid-range mastery (not to mention an improved free throw rate) just makes him that much harder to guard.
He’s taking more threes without an assist and creating more off the dribble than ever before this year, and doing so incredibly well.
Leonard’s now scored at least 20 points in each of his last 27 games, making it the longest streak of 20+ point games in his career.
Especially without George’s size and defense on the wing, the Sixers are really going to have their work cut out for them against Kawhi. While Dominick Barlow will be tied up against the athletic and pretty versatile scoring of John Collins, Kelly Oubre Jr. will have to lead the Leonard assignment.
Oubre is having yet another strong two-way season, so hopefully he’ll be able to throw enough length, quickness and high-energy physicality at Leonard to at least bother his drives and signature mid-range game a little. With Harden potentially still sidelined, the Sixers may need to throw a few doubles at Leonard just to try and mess with his rhythm and force other shooters to beat them.
The Clippers also have a rock-solid team defense — ranking seventh since Dec. 20 — from their perimeter play to Ivica Zubac (now backed up by Brook Lopez) holding down the fort at center. Finding clear driving lanes and generating open threes probably won’t be easy, especially as the attention George commanded at the arc is gone now.
With the form Embiid has been in lately, though, Zubac should be struggling as usual to contain his mid-range game and face-up play.
Winning this one on the road is going to be tricky, even with the Clippers on the second night of a back-to-back. The Clips remain hot and the Sixers are left even lighter on shooting and wing defense without George. But let’s see if Embiid and Tyrese Maxey can muster up some magic to make things interesting.
Game Details
When: Monday, February 2, 10:00 p.m. ET
Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, CA
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow: @LibertyBallers
