The Sixers (9-56) will again try to notch consecutive wins for the first time this season when they host the Detroit Pistons (33-32) at the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday night (7 p.m./TCN).
Let’s take a closer look at the matchup:
1. Walking wounded
The good news is the Sixers were able to hold on down the stretch Friday night for a 95-89 win over the Brooklyn Nets to snap their 13-game skid.
The bad: hours after announcing rookie Jahlil Okafor was out for six weeks, they lost three key contributors to injuries over the course of the game and will be severely shorthanded moving forward.
The Sixers won for the first time in 34 days, but they also watched Robert Covington, Jerami Grant and Richaun Holmes exit Friday’s game with various injuries.
Covington’s was the most serious. When Grant attempted to block a potential shot attempt from Nets guard Donald Sloan during the third quarter, he lost his balance and went crashing to the court. On the way down, his heel connected with the face of Covington, who also fell hard to the ground.
Both players were motionless on the court for several minutes. Covington was eventually stretchered off and went to Jefferson Hospital to be evaluated for a possible neck injury. Grant was helped to the locker room and got checked for a concussion.
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“That’s our brother, that’s our teammate,” said Holmes, who also left the game with a right Achilles strain. “You know he’s going to be OK, but you never want to see anything like that, especially somebody you’re so close with. It’s scary. … At the end of the day you’ve still got to play so that’s the tough part, when somebody goes down like that, having to go back out there and play. That’s pretty tough mentally.”
2. Marching to the beat of his own Drummond
The last thing the Sixers wanted to be was thin in the frontcourt with Andre Drummond coming to town.
The double-double machine has dominated the Sixers this season and there is no reason to think it won’t continue against such a depleted lineup.
Drummond has averaged 18.3 points, 17.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in three meetings against the Sixers so far this season. He has also connected on 52.5 percent of his shots from the field and 50.0 percent from the free throw line, which is a minor miracle for Drummond.
The fourth-year center is likely licking his chops to get after a Sixers frontline that could be down to just Nerlens Noel, Carl Landry and Elton Brand.
3. Aiming from long range
With so many big men dealing with injuries, expect the Sixers to continue to keep firing from behind the three-point line.
In the six straight games Okafor has missed, the Sixers have averaged 31.3 attempts from three-point range and 10.6 makes.
The Sixers shot 9 of 28 from beyond the arc in Friday’s win over the Nets. Covington accounted for four of those threes before he was forced to exit the game.
4. Injuries
Spencer Dinwiddie (ankle) and Jodie Meeks (foot) are out for the Pistons.
Covington (neck), Grant (head) and Holmes (Achilles) should all be considered doubtful. Okafor (knee) is out.
5. This and that
• The Sixers are 1-12 in the second game of back-to-back sets this season.
• The Sixers haven’t been swept by the Pistons in a four-game season series since 1995-96.
• Drummond has 54 double-doubles this season to lead the entire NBA.
• Hollis Thompson has averaged 12.0 points on 56.0 percent shooting from the field and 71.4 percent from three-point range against the Pistons this season.
• Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson has averaged 21.7 points against the Sixers this season.