Philadelphia heads to Beantown in a game that shouldn’t cause much consternation for those folks giving Tankathon a spin every morning.
Sometimes you have to give the people what they want. In this instance, what they want are more nationally-televised Philadelphia 76ers games. Maybe folks out there are actually enjoying these contests, like when you rubberneck while driving by a car accident on the other side of the road. Perhaps morbid individuals out there are deriving a stange pleasure in gazing at this absolute 15-car pile-up of a Sixers season. Or maybe the league should just divvy out these national games a little more evenly at the beginning of the season so this sort of thing happens less often.
Anyway, Sixers fans will not have a case of ‘Will the Sixers slip up and accidentally win a game against someone like Portland?’ tonight. They’re playing in Boston, and the Celtics are in the top tier of real contenders in this, their repeat championship bid season. The Sixers’ upset win in Boston back on Christmas Day feels like it happened in a parallel version of this reality across the multiverse. The Celtics won both meetings in Philadelphia last month. The only reason you could even slightly talk yourself into the Sixers hurting themselves in the Tankathon standings is Boston is on the tail end of a back-to-back, having defeated Portland at home last night. But let’s be honest, that shouldn’t really impact the result here tonight.
On the Sixers injury front, Tyrese Maxey is out. Not having full use of his fingers to shoot or dribble with his dominant right hand wasn’t enough tosideline him, but a back sprain finally did it. Paul George is questionable, as he continues to complain about his groin and get pain injections and WHY HAS HE NOT BEEN RULED OUT FOR THE SEASON. Justin Edwards is questionable with the ankle sprain he suffered towards the end of the Portland game. You know the other guys who are out.
We don’t have the official injury report for Boston yet since they played last night, but Jayson Tatum (shoulder), Jrue Holiday (mallet finger), and Kristaps Porzingis (illness) all missed the Blazers game. It was Tatum’s first missed game since December, so we’ll see if he’s back on the floor to face the Sixers.
Fun things to watch? Quentin Grimes has been absolutely balling out in his ‘secure the bag in free agency’ tour. I wouldn’t mind him cooling off just a little to give his agent less ammunition at the negotiating table with Daryl Morey. Kelly Oubre Jr. is going to put a stranglehold on the Sixers’ total minutes played crown now that Maxey is out again. He deserves some flowers for consistently putting on the hard hat and hustling on both ends of the court this season in spite of everything. If you’re interested in what’s happening with Lonnie Walker IV or Jared Butler, more power to you, but I’m not really in that headspace. The fact that there are 21 regular season games left should count as a war crime. Chicago (at Orlando) and Brooklyn (vs. Golden State) also have games going on tonight. Go Bulls and Nets!
Game Details
When: Thursday, March 6, 7:30pm ET
Where: TD Garden, Boston, MA
Watch: TNT, Max
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow: @LibertyBallers