The Philadelphia 76ers will visit the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, hoping to avoid their conferences’ play-in playoffs.
Teams in seventh to tenth position compete in the tournament. Philadelphia (38-30) is the sixth seed in the East, and Phoenix (39-29) is in eighth place in the West.
The Sixers opened a four-game West Coast trip with a 98-91 home victory over the Miami Heat on Monday. Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 30 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds, while Kelly Oubre Jr. finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds, and five blocks.
Philadelphia has received a spark from center Mo Bamba, who has started nine of the last 10 games. The 7-footer had eight points, four rebounds and three assists in 19 minutes against Miami.
“Mo, I think, is getting better,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said. “I think that he’s getting a little bit more in shape. He’s been able to go a lot longer stints than I think he was even a month ago.”
Bamba is seeing more playing time in place of star Joel Embiid, who has missed the past 22 games while recovering from a torn meniscus in his left knee. The Sixers remain hopeful that Embiid could return before the end of the regular season.
“I think he kind of rounds back into shape and rhythm pretty quickly,” she added. “I think the more games we have with him, the better. I also believe we want to get him as healthy as possible for the playoffs or play-ins.
Philadelphia is anticipating forward Tobias Harris to return to the lineup on Wednesday after missing the previous two games due to an injured right ankle.
The Sixers are attempting to complete a season sweep of Phoenix after winning 112-100 in Philadelphia on November 4.
Phoenix has lost three of its last five games, including a 140-129 setback in Milwaukee on Sunday. The Suns let up a season-high 82 points in the first half to the Bucks, who were missing injured star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“We were trying to fly around, but we were just getting our asses kicked,” Suns coach Frank Vogel said. “Sometimes that happens.”
Bradley Beal scored 28 points in the loss, while Grayson Allen added 25. Kevin Durant was held to 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting.
Philadelphia is anticipating forward Tobias Harris to return to the lineup on Wednesday after missing the previous two games due to an injured right ankle.
The Sixers are attempting to complete a season sweep of Phoenix after winning 112-100 in Philadelphia on November 4.
Phoenix has lost three of its last five games, including a 140-129 setback in Milwaukee on Sunday. The Suns let up a season-high 82 points in the first half to the Bucks, who were missing injured star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“We were trying to fly around, but we were just getting our asses kicked,” Suns coach Frank Vogel said. “Sometimes that happens.”
