Sixers Look to Win Seventh Straight Against New Orleans

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On Friday, Zion Williamson and the Pelicans will roll into Philadelphia looking to knock off a 76ers team that has been on fire as of late. Since the return of Ben Simmons, the Sixers have dominated their last six games by an average of about 22 points per game, and have set themselves up in a good spot to retain the top spot in the East with the playoffs around the corner.

Defensively, the Sixers focus is going to be on trying to slow down Zion Williamson. When the Sixers played the Pelicans on April 9th, the Sixers just had no answer for Zion, and he took full advantage, ending the game with 37 PTS, 15 REB, a 101-94 win. Zion was just straight-up dominant, bullying anyone and everyone, on his way to a near career-high night. It will likely be Simmons assigned to Zion, it will be interesting to see if the DPOY candidate can keep Zion contained.

Offensively, the Sixers will need to get Embiid rolling. The last time these two teams matched up, Embiid ended with only 14 PTS on 5/16 shooting, which, needless to say, was not one of his best games. George Hill’s absence also played a role in the loss, as he was out with a thumb injury, and he has given the second unit a boost in his little time in Philly. Embiid is coming off a game where he had 34 PTS and 12 REB in a win, so he’s looking to build on that at home against New Orleans

The Sixers have six games left in their season, and if they can go 4-2 in those six games, no matter what anyone else does, the Sixers lock up the one seed. That one seed would be huge because it could mean the Sixers could avoid Milwaukee in the second round. However, the Sixers have to get through the Pelicans first, which they will try to do when they take them on Thursday, at 7:00 pm at the Wells Fargo Center.