After breaking their five-game losing streak Thursday night in Denver, the 9-7 Philadelphia 76ers look to start a new winning streak tonight against Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers. Tonight is the second of this season’s home-and-home between the two clubs; the Sixers won the previous meeting in Philadelphia at the beginning of the month, 113-103. Notably, that Sixers victory came without the services of Joel Embiid, a feat Philadelphia will need to replicate tonight, as Embiid and Matisse Thybulle remain out due to health and safety protocols. Additionally, Danny Green remains day-to-day with hamstring tightness.
Philadelphians have kept a close eye on the Blazers this season, as Lillard remains the primary protagonist of Sixers fan fiction in terms of a Ben Simmons trade return.