Scene Setter:
The 76ers (7-43) complete their 11th back-to-back set with Saturday’s 7:30 PM EST appearance at The Center against the Brooklyn Nets (13-28). The game will mark the Sixers’ first home meeting of the season versus their Atlantic Division adversary. Like the Sixers, Brooklyn will also be playing its second contest in as many nights.At Verizon Center on Friday, the Sixers found themselves staring at a 38-18 deficit by the end of the first quarter. As a result, they had to try and chase down the Washington Wizards the rest of the way. Despite outscoring Washington by eight points between the second and fourth periods, and mounting a 21-6 run to close the third frame, the Sixers were unable to sustain their comeback bid. John Wall – with 18 points, a personal-best 13 rebounds, and 10 assists – produced the fourth double-double of his career. Ish Smith, the Sixers’ point guard, rode his 14-point third quarter to a game-high tying 22 points. Having entered Friday with 15 losses in 17 games, Brooklyn had shown no substantial signs of improvement since the January 10th ousting of head coach Lionel Hollins and general manager Billy King. Then, the Nets turned in arguably their top showing of the season by knocking off the Sacramento Kings, 128-119. Brooklyn’s nine-point margin of victory was its second-highest of the campaign, while they tallied their largest point output of the season. The Nets knocked down nearly 56.0 percent of their field goal attempts, and converted 18 of 28 three-point tries. Joe Johnson racked up a game-best 27 points, and tacked on 10 assists as well for his third double-double this year.Series: The Sixers and Brooklyn link up for the second time this season. Their first confrontation took place nearly two months ago at Barclays Center, with the Nets posting a 100-91 victory. Jahlil Okafor delivered the sixth double-double of his career, netting 22 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. The two other members of the Sixers’ rookie class stood out as well. T.J. McConnell established a career-high with 17 points, while Richaun Holmes deposited 14 points of his own. Brooklyn started and finished strong defensively, spotting the Sixers 13 points in the first quarter, and 17 points in the fourth quarter. Thaddeus Young cranked out an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double. The Nets have bested the Sixers twice in a row, and in six of the clubs’ past seven confrontations. Subplots:
On Saturday, the 76ers organization will celebrate the life, career, and cherished character that was Darryl Dawkins, who passed away suddenly on August 27th at the age of 58. Dawkins is perhaps best remembered for his “Chocolate Thunder” nickname, humorously outlandish slam dunk monikers, and backboard shattering highlights. Beyond the charisma and good-natured showmanship, the former center showed himself to be a solid basketball player as well.Originally taken by the Sixers fifth overall out of Evans High School in Orlando, Florida, Dawkins went on to log 14 years in the NBA, playing from 1975 through 1989. He spent his first seven professional campaigns with the Sixers, before they dealt him to the New Jersey Nets in August 1982. The connection that Dawkins had between the two organizations makes the timing of Saturday’s tribute all that more fitting. Over the course of 726 lifetime NBA regular season appearances, Dawkins averaged 12.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in 23.7 minutes per game. He was also a 57.2 percent career shooter, good for eighth all-time in league history. With the Sixers specifically, Dawkins accounted for 11.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Dawkins was a member of the Sixers’ roster during their runs to the NBA Finals in 1977, 1980, and 1982. His best showing in of any of those three championship round series, all of which were losses, was in 1980. Although the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Sixers, 4-2, in that year’s Finals, Dawkins made his presence felt on both sides of the floor, accounting for 17.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.3 blocked shots. During his career, Dawkins four times placed among the NBA’s top-five most accurate field goal shooters. In the heyday of the Sixers in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Dawkins was typically rated as one of the league’s better defenders as well. As part of Saturday’s festivities, current Sixers players will sport commemorative “Chocolate Thunder” shirts during pre-game warm-ups. Additionally, all players will wear special edition socks featuring Dawkins’ likeness. Below, take a look at the socks, manufactured by the company Stance Hoops. Tomorrow, when the @Sixers honor the late, great Daryl Dawkins, they’ll take to the court in these special socks. pic.twitter.com/YSvy20haIj— Stance Hoops (@stancehoops) February 5, 2016 One of Philadelphia’s top foodie destinations, The Franklin Fountain, has gotten in on the act of paying tribute to Dawkins as well. The Old City-based ice cream parlour joined forces with the Sixers to develop a flavor in the big man’s honor, ‘Chocolate Thunder Hazelnut.” Be sure to note one of the flavor’s main ingredients. Two of Dawkins’ former teammates, Bobby Jones and World B. Free, will be in attendance on Saturday, and will take part in a halftime question and answer session.
Tomorrow, when the @Sixers honor the late, great Daryl Dawkins, they’ll take to the court in these special socks. pic.twitter.com/YSvy20haIj
During Friday’s third quarter, Ish Smith took over, delivering one of the most explosive scoring stretches of his 19-game stint with the Sixers. He dropped 14 points in the period, nailing seven of his 10 field goal attempts amidst that stretch. His seven buckets were also the only ones the Sixers had scored up until Jerami Grant, and Isaiah Canaan combined for the final eight points of the frame. Here is a look at Smith’s third-quarter shot chart, courtesy of stats.nba.com.In the fourth quarter, Smith’s fortunes took a turn. He was only able to log five minutes of action due to hurting an ankle. “I don’t’ know,” said Smith, when asked for details about the injury. “I just rolled it, sprained it. I’ll probably feel it [Saturday] by I’ll be fine.”Since making his Sixers debut on December 26th, Smith has ranked second on the club with an average of 15.4 points per game, while leading the squad with 8.1 helpers per contest. Of greatest significance, he has been a reinvigorating presence, as six of the Sixers’ seven victories have come following his arrival.Although Smith was hampered throughout the pre-season by ankle trouble, he has not sat out a game due to injury since last April, when he missed time with a groin strain.
A little more than one and a half months into Brett Brown’s head coaching career, he and the Sixers were blitzed by Brooklyn shooting guard Joe Johnson. On December 10th, 2013, Johnson went off for a career-high 10 three-pointers, and finished with 37 points. The 15-year veteran has not scored more points in a single game since that night. In fact, the seven-time NBA All-Star has seen his production drop off considerably the last two seasons. This week, Johnson turned back the clock, burying 20 points in a 14-point loss to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday. Then, on Friday, he fired home 27 points, hitting five three-point field goals, and 11 of his 16 shots overall. Johnson also pitched in with 11 assists to record his third double-double of the campaign. In 41 career outings versus the Sixers, Johnson has averaged 16.8 points per game. His 44.0 three-point field goal percentage in these contests is the third-best mark he’s compiled against any one single opponent.
Sixers Health Report:
Elton Brand (conditioning)
Richaun Holmes (right ankle)
Stay Connected:
TV – Comcast SportsNet
Radio – 97.5 FM The Fanatic (and additional Sixers Radio Network affiliate stations)
Video Stream – http://www.csnphilly.com / NBC Sports Live Extra
