The Philadelphia 76ers (43-25) are hosting the Sacramento Kings (33-34) at Wells Fargo Center on Friday night. Ben Simmons (upper respiratory) and Mike Scott (upper respiratory) are both listed as probable. The last time these two teams faced, Jimmy Butler, Joel Embiid and Simmons combined for 80 of their 108 points in a loss. Here are three storylines to watch.
Here are the essentials for tonight's game:
When: 7 p.m. ET with Sixers Pregame Live at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Wells Fargo Center
Broadcast: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Live stream: NBCSportsPhiladelphia.com and the NBC MyTeams app
Here are three storylines to watch:
Buddy-Fox backcourt
Buddy Hield is coming off a career-high 14 shots from the field, after a game-high 34 points to go along with a career-high tying seven assists. His 21.1 points per game (another career-high) is 26th in the NBA, while De'Aaron Fox is averaging 17.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.68 steals per game. As Brett Brown said at practice yesterday, this team has some balance and firepower; the Sixers have struggled with that this season. (Remember when Hield went off for 34 points last time, including seven three-pointers?)
Kings still fighting
Philadelphia 76ers
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Along those same lines, who would've thought to start the season, the Kings would be fighting for a playoff spot in the Western Conference? After last night's loss to Boston, the Kings' chances have become even more slim, sitting five games behind the Clippers. But with the playoffs still in their sights, the Kings definitely still have something to fight for tonight.
Simmons from the line
Dating back to March 2 against Golden State, Ben Simmons is shooting 78.1 percent from the free-throw line (25/32). For the season, Simmons is up to 60.3 percent and averaging 5.5 attempts per game (last year: 52.0 percent on 4.3 attempts). Simmons has looked a lot more confident at the line and has been more aggressive recently, something that the Sixers definitely need from him come playoff time.
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