This ain’t the Brooklyn Nets.
The Portland Trail Blazers come to Philly Sunday a young and hungry team firmly in the Play-In picture of the loaded Western Conference. The Sixers, still decimated by injuries and one suspension, will have their work cut out for them.
On Saturday, the VJ Edgecombe-led Sixers built a 28-point lead against the tanking Nets. Brooklyn then made a fourth-quarter push to briefly take a one-point lead. Luckily, Quentin Grimes and company did just enough in the final minutes
to secure the win, which keeps them tied with the Atlanta Hawks — who own the tiebreaker — for eighth in the East. They’re 1.5 games back of the sixth seed and final guaranteed playoff spot.
No true reinforcements are on the way. Joel Embiid (oblique), Tyrese Maxey (pinky), Kelly Oubre Jr. (elbow) and Paul George (suspension) remain out of the lineup. The team doesn’t have an injury report out yet, so we’ll have to see the statuses of Andre Drummond (back) and Jabari Walker (illness), who missed Saturday’s game — and also see if any surprises pop up.
Portland comes into this one relatively healthy. Young guard Shaedon Sharpe is out with a stress reaction in his right fibula. Veteran guard Damian Lillard will miss the entire 2025-26 season — sans the three-point contest — while recovering from an Achilles injury. Big man Robert Williams III is questionable with a left knee injury recovery designation.
The Trail Blazers aren’t a juggernaut by any stretch. They’re a bottom-10 team offensively and middle of the pack in defensive rating. They do have talented and capable players, though. Offensively, they’re led by All-Star forward Deni Avdija, who is a mismatch problem for most teams, but their scoring as a team is fairly balanced. Defensively, they have one of the toughest backcourts in the NBA with Toumani Camara and old friend Jrue Holiday, plus massive big man Donovan Clingan protecting the rim and crashing the glass.
This should be as stiff a test as Edgecombe will see as the team’s lead ball-handler. Nick Nurse said postgame Saturday that he’s still looking for the rookie to be more aggressive while the team is missing its top offensive threats. This isn’t the easiest matchup to get that done.
Game Details
When: Sunday, March 15, 6:00 p.m. ET
Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow: @LibertyBallers
