The Sixers (8-54) will attempt to snap their 11-game losing skid when they finish off a home-and-home series against the Miami Heat (36-26) at American Airlines Arena Sunday night (6 p.m./CSN).
Let’s take a closer look at the matchup:
1. No relief
The Sixers opened up the first meeting of this home-and home series with just 10 available players and that will remain the case Sunday in South Beach.
Jahlil Okafor (right shin), Nerlens Noel (right knee), Nik Stauskas and Kendall Marshall (upper-respiratory infections) all did not make the trip to Miami for Sunday’s game.
Their absences were felt Friday at the Wells Fargo Center. Despite the Sixers hanging around most of the night and even rallying to take a lead during the third quarter, the combined 40.1 points, 18.0 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game missing from the lineup was too much to overcome.
Their absences may have been felt even more on the defensive end, especially in the post. Without the size of Noel and Okafor in the middle, Miami racked up 50 points in the paint while center Hassan Whiteside came off the bench to register a double-double with 19 points and 19 rebounds.
2. Cranking up the old school Chevy
With the Sixers’ two primary bigs on the shelf and Christian Wood sitting after just being recalled from the Delaware 87ers, Brett Brown dug deep into his bench in Friday’s tilt. That resulted in veteran forward Elton Brand making his season debut.
NBA
Brand, who hadn’t played since last season’s Eastern Conference Finals with the Atlanta Hawks, had been working to get in shape after signing with the Sixers in early January.
While his role on the team was primarily to provide leadership to the NBA’s youngest roster, Brand was still ready when his number was called. The 36-year-old scored eight points and grabbed four rebounds in 13 minutes of action against the Heat.
“He’s amazing to me because I really didn’t know what to expect,” Sixers head coach Brett Brown said. “I thought he had practiced well, but we practice so infrequently, you’re not making that judgment on a high volume of appearances. You’re reminded of how good he was because he’s so smart. He really knows how to play.”
We’ll see if the Sixers can get the old school Chevy back up and running for Sunday’s clash.
3. He’s still got it
Brand wasn’t the only vet showing he’s still got what it takes when these two teams squared off.
Dwyane Wade continued to prove any talk of his demise was severely premature. The 34-year-old shooting guard scored 21 points on 7 of 16 shooting to go along with eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block in the Heat’s 112-102 win.
Wade has torched the Sixers time and again throughout his illustrious career and Friday was no different. In 40 career-regular season games against the Sixers, the three-time champion has averaged 24.6 points, 6.0 assists and 5.3 boards.
Any hopes the Sixers have of pulling off an upset to snap their skid will have to focus on at least limiting Wade’s impact. Easier said than done.
4. Injuries
Chris Bosh (blood clots) and Tyler Johnson (shoulder) are out for the Heat.
Okafor (shin), Noel (knee), Stauskas and Marshall (upper-respiratory infections) are all out for the Sixers.
5. This and that
• The Sixers have three losing streaks of at least 11 games this season.
• Miami is seeking its fifth straight win.
• The Sixers have allowed 118.3 points per game since the All-Star break.
• Whiteside is averaging 18.5 points, 15.5 rebounds and 3.8 blocks since being suspended for the Heat’s first game after the break.