Scene Setter:With fortifying their defense being a chief objective, the 76ers (8-48) head to Michigan to take on the Detroit Pistons (28-29) on Wednesday at 7:30 PM EST at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The game will be the second in as many nights for the Sixers. Detroit has been idle since Monday, when it emerged from Cleveland with a needed road victory.
The Sixers have given up at least 120 points in each of their three outings since coming back from the NBA All-Star Game break. The latest iteration in this trend occurred Tuesday at The Center, when they were ousted by the Orlando Magic, 124-115. The defeat spoiled another encouraging offensive showing by the Sixers. They set a new season-high in points, and nailed 54.4 percent of their field goal attempts, which represented their second-best shooting showing of the current campaign. The Magic managed to establish a 16-point advantage from the free throw line, and outscored the Sixers in points off turnovers, 28-13. Ish Smith generated a team-best 22 points (7-15 fg), while Nerlens Noel manufactured his 11th double-double, totaling 16 points (6-9 fg) and 11 rebounds.Downing Cleveland 96-88 at Quicken Loans Arena on Monday, Detroit delivered a key, timely triumph. Not only did the win snap a season-high five-game losing streak, it allowed the Pistons to keep pace in the Eastern Conference playoff race. They enter Wednesday two games behind Charlotte and Chicago, which share seventh place, and trail the fifth-seeded Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks by just two and a half games. Detroit, in its second season under President of Basketball Operations and head coach Stan Van Gundy, is in position for its first winning season in eight years, and first post-season appearance since 2009. Series: After taking last year’s four-game season series from Detroit, the Sixers are looking for their first win of the year over their Eastern Conference foe. The Pistons handed the Sixers a 107-95 setback in early December, before knocking off the Sixers again, 110-97, on January 27th. In the first pairing between the teams, the Sixers’ frontline played well. Jahlil Okafor posted 22 points (10-18 fg) and grabbed six rebounds. Nerlens Noel submitted a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double. Four weeks ago, in the Sixers’ previous match-up with Detroit, Jerami Grant turned in the top offensive showing of his two-year career, dropping 21 points (8-13 fg). He also pitched in defensively with eight rebounds and three steals. Nerlens Noel tallied 20 points (9-11 fg), seven rebounds, and four assists. Subplots:
In structuring this season’s slate, the NBA placed a premium on reducing the amount of congested chunks in each team’s respective schedule. Back in August, NBA.com reporter Sekou Smith examined the impact that this change would have. An excerpt from his article can be found below:Wednesday in Detroit, the Sixers will complete their 12th back-to-back set of the season. For several rookies on the team, getting used to this dynamic of the NBA has been about finding an effective routine and mindset. “My thing is just hydrating the night before, and getting good sleep, and then having a mindset of going to play a game the next day,” said T.J. McConnell before Tuesday’s loss to the Orlando Magic. “I know you’re tired, but everyone else on our team has played. Sometimes, you’re playing a team that’s played a back-to-back also. You just got to have a good night’s sleep, and drink lots of water.””I think playing back-to-back games in the NBA, everybody’s going to be a little bit more sore,” Richaun Holmes said. The 2015 second-round draft pick’s only other experience appearing in back-to-back contests came in college, when Bowling Green took part in the Mid-American Conference Tournament “There’s that [soreness] aspect of it, but other than that it’s just another game for me. It is an adjustment, but it’s what you’ve got to do.”After Wednesday, the Sixers will have seven back-to-backs remaining. As far as playing four games in five days, they have two such junctures on their schedule – one fell from December 10th through December 14th, and another looms March 17th through March 21st. Between last Sunday and this coming Monday, the Sixers will play six times in nine nights.
Speaking of T.J. McConnell, the point guard, according to Brett Brown, is “doubtful” for Wednesday’s game against Detroit. Late in Tuesday’s third quarter, the gritty, 6’2″ tall Pittsburgh native was required to take on 6’10” Orlando forward Irsan Ilyasova in a jump-ball situation. In an attempt to presumably compensate for a substantial height disadvantage, McConnell, in replays, is shown exerting considerable effort in an attempt to leap up and win the tap. His determination paid off, as the Sixers secured possession, but it also came at a cost. The undrafted rookie landed awkwardly on his right ankle, the impact leaving him in visible pain. He was forced to exit the game, and was later officially diagnosed with a right ankle sprain. McConnell was not able to return. [[{“fid”:”48173″,”view_mode”:”default”,”fields”:{“format”:”default”,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:””,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:””},”type”:”media”,”attributes”:{“height”:”335″,”width”:”594″,”class”:”media-element file-default”}}]]McConnell is the only member of the Sixers to have not missed a contest this season, and is one of just 50 players across the entire NBA to have appeared in all of his team’s games. The Sixers have played 56 times so far. Earlier this month, when reflecting on the deep shin laceration he suffered while diving for a loose ball against Boston on January 24th, McConnell expressed the importance he places on fighting through pain. “Tremendous pride,” McConnell said. “I’m trying to do anything I can to help this team win, defensively and offensively.”Brett Brown said at the time, “This is a marine. This is one tough, tough, competitive person. He just, we all know, you see how he plays. We can all guess how he’s wired. It reflects his wound, playing through that. I think it’s just a level of toughness that you either have it or you don’t, and he has it.”Should McConnell not be cleared for Wednesday’s game at The Palace of Auburn Hills, Kendall Marshall would likely slide into the back-up point guard role behind starter Ish Smith.
Wednesday will be Tobias Harris’ fourth outing in a Pistons uniform. The trade that sent the combo forward from Orlando to Detroit was one of the major moves that transpired in the run up to last Thursday’s deadline for deals. “Excited about the opportunity to come here,” said Harris at his introductory press conference. “I feel like the team, the direction they’re going in, with Coach Van Gundy and the talent they have, and the young core and the nucleus here, I think it’s a perfect fit.”Harris, who has started throughout the better part of his five-year stint in the NBA, has now already been a part of three separate trades. Originally taken 19th overall in the 2011 NBA Draft by Charlotte, he then landed with Milwaukee later that night as part of a three-team deal. Harris would spend a season and a half with the Bucks before getting shipped to Orlando at the 2013 February trade deadline. He’s generated career averages of 12.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game, and has accounted for 17.0 points per game through three outings with Detroit.
Sixers Health Report:
T.J. McConnell (right ankle)
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