James Harden and Houston Rockets host Jimmy Butler and injury-hit Philadelphia 76ers
Watch Philadelphia 76ers @ Houston Rockets live on Sky Sports Arena in the early hours of Saturday morning (1am)
Saturday 9 March 2019 04:51, UK
The injury-riddled Philadelphia 76ers visit James Harden and the high-flying Houston Rockets, live on Sky Sports Arena.
Live NBA: Philadelphia @ Houston
The 76ers (41-24) might have been caught looking ahead to this game when they headed to Chicago on Wednesday night to take on the Bulls, as Philadelphia ended up losing to one of the worst teams in the NBA on a last-second lay-up from Zach LaVine.
It was a loss the 76ers simply couldn't afford as they fight for homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs, and they now find themselves forced to bounce back against the Rockets, a team on a six-game winning streak.
They will once again be without center Joel Embiid, who has been ruled out for his eighth straight game due to lingering soreness in his left knee. With Boban Marjanovic also out, expect Amir Johnson and Jonah Bolden to again pick up increased minutes at center, with more of the offensive burden falling on Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris.
Philadelphia have managed to tread water without their star player, going 4-3 since Embiid was first sidelined.
The Rockets (39-25) are starting to surge at the right time. Houston have not lost since February 21 and are coming off back-to-back wins against two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference in convincing fashion.
After traveling to Boston to beat the Celtics by 14 points, the Rockets made their way to Toronto on Tuesday night and beat the Raptors by 12.
Houston's dominance of teams from the East goes well beyond these last couple of games, as the Rockets are currently riding an impressive eight-game winning streak against teams from the other conference.
Their last loss? To the 76ers by a staggering 28 points. Revenge will surely be on the home team's mind Friday.
Key battle: Clint Capela vs Sixers' back-up big men
There's nothing Joel Embiid likes better than asserting his dominance over an opposing center but the absence of 'The Process' through injury opens the door for Capela to have a major impact on this game.
The Rockets center has been cleaning the glass impressively since the All-Star break, pulling down 12.3 rebounds per game. His scoring has been down over this period but that could change if the Sixers' reserve bigs can't handle him inside. Expect James Harden and Chris Paul to look for Capela early with lob passes for him to finish at the rim.
Last time out
Numbers game
35.0 - The Rockets take and make more three-pointers than any team in the NBA. However, their three-point shooting percentage (35.0) ranks only 20th in the league. Because of the volume of triples the Rockets shoot, opposition teams have a big problem on their hands if Harden, Paul, Gerald Green and Eric Gordon find their range from downtown.
The 76ers give up 10.0 three-pointers per game (fourth best in the NBA) at 34.1 per cent (also fourth best in the NBA). How they defend the perimeter against Houston's trademark three-point barrage will go some way to deciding the outcome of the game.
One of watch (76ers): Tobias Harris
Acquired at the trade deadline from the Los Angeles Clippers, many thought Harris' production would suffer as he went from being a No 1 offensive option in LA to one of four weapons in Philly. However, in the 11 games he has played for the 76ers, his scoring output has sustained.
Harris is averaging 20.8 points per game for the Sixers and has already shown the character to take and make high-pressure shots late in games, something Philadelphia desperately required.
One to watch (Rockets): Eric Gordon
Gordon's three-point shooting prowess helped propel the Rockets to last season's Western Conference finals but his accuracy from downtown has been nowhere near his best in this campaign.
For his career, Gordon owns a 37.3 field goal percentage from beyond the arc. His three-point percentage for this season is a sub-par 33.3, and it fell below 30 in the first half of the season.
However, Gordon provided a performance in Boston that suggested he had broken out of his shooting malaise, canning 8-of-12 triples as the Rockets blew out the Celtics. He then added 3-of-5 from downtown in Houston's road win in Toronto. Will he maintain this rich vein of form when the Sixers come to the Toyota Center?
