Sixers face Nets for last game before All-Star break

The All-Star break can’t come soon enough for these Sixers. In their last contest before the break, they’ll be attempting to end their four-game losing streak as they finish this week’s back-to-back.

Well, what a surprise. The Sixers’ losing streak continues. At home on Tuesday, they picked up their fourth straight loss in a 106-103 defeat to the Raptors, a team stuck at 13th in the East, despite all the Sixers’ stars being active. It’s hard to choose from so many options, but it’s another candidate for worst loss of the season.

Now, to finish this week’s back-to-back and wrap up their last contest before the All-Star break, the Sixers are on the road against the Nets.

While we’ll have to wait a bit longer for an official injury report ahead of Wednesday’s game, Eric Gordon and Kyle Lowry were out on Tuesday while the team’s Big 3 actually got to play together again. Whether we can expect to see Joel Embiid complete this back-to-back is another question, though.

For the Nets, Cam Thomas (left hamstring strain), De’Anthony Melton (ACL tear), Noah Clowney (left ankle sprain), and Bojan Bogdanovic (left foot injury recovery) are all out. Nic Claxton is questionable with a right ankle sprain.

The Nets have been slipping down the Eastern Conference since last playing the Sixers on Jan. 4 — when the Sixers took a 123-94 win. Brooklyn now sit at 12th place with their 19-34 record, ranking in the bottom eight in the league in both offensive and defensive rating.

Cam Thomas had a quality start to the season, putting up a career-high 24.7 points per game with a very respectable 59.7 true shooting percentage. But with him appearing in just two games since Nov. 25 and now our until after the All-Star break, the Nets’ offense has lost some steam.

Without Thomas, Cameron Johnson has continued to step up, shooting lights out from three at 41.8 percent on 7.6 attempts per game and averaging a career-high 19.3 points. Containing Johnson from beyond the arc in particular will be the main thing for the Sixers’ recently faltering defense to keep an eye on. Along with buying out Ben Simmons, trading Dennis Schroder in December, and sending Dorian Finney-Smith to the Lakers in December before the wing has the chance to hit free agency this summer, the Nets have made quite a few changes despite keeping key pieces like Johnson and Claxton.

D’Angelo Russell is also back in Brooklyn again to run point (as a result of the Finney-Smith deal), where he originally picked up his only All-Star nod back in 2018-19, but has struggled with the Nets so far this season. With a true shooting percentage of just 53.2, Russell’s mid-range shooting has dipped, not to mention he’s only shooting 31.9 percent from three. He’s never been the kind of defender capable of doing much to bother Tyrese Maxey and his far superior speed and shiftiness either. That could bode well for Maxey bouncing back from his season-low five points against Toronto.

Even with all that in mind, the Nets have picked up two solid wins over the Rockets in the last two weeks and beat the Heat on Friday, 102-86. And with how routinely the Sixers have disappointed this season — even when the trio of Embiid, Paul George and Maxey are active — no results against what should be inferior opponents can be taken for granted.

George continues to have a hard time since returning from his finger injury as well. If he can do anything to get going beyond the quiet 12.3 points and 10.3 field goal attempts he’s averaged over the last four games, that would help make this contest far smoother.

Another interesting thing to monitor will be how Quentin Grimes continues settling in. He’s given the Sixers a real boost so far with his defense, work on the boards, and decisive play on offense. Whether he’s firing quickly off the catch from three (even if his typical efficiency hasn’t been there just yet) or attacking the rim. Through three games, Grimes has averaged a solid 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 31.7 minutes a night.

Jared Butler is off to a promising start to his time with the Sixers, too, showing what he’s got to offer as a shooter and ball-handler off the bench. In Tuesday’s game against Toronto, he finished with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting and four assists in only 15 minutes of action. Hopefully on Wednesday Butler can be a bright spot if (when) other frustrations likely continue.

The Sixers’ defense has ranked a measly 23rd in the league in February so far, which has been one of their major recent issues. If there’s a chance for them to dial things up and end the first part of the season on a high before the All-Star break, doing so against the Nets’ weak offense should be a good opportunity.

Game details

When: Wednesday, Feb. 12, 7:30pm ET

Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY

Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia

Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic

Follow: @LibertyBallers