It's another big test for the Sixers (34-19) tonight, taking on the second-ranked team in the Eastern Conference, the Toronto Raptors (38-16), for their fourth and final matchup of the regular season. The Raptors were without Kawhi Leonard in their last matchup at Wells Fargo Center, which saw the Sixers' only win vs. the Raptors this season. JJ Redick is also back in the lineup for the Sixers, after resting in Saturday's loss to the Sacramento Kings. Here are the essentials for tonight's game:
• When: 8 p.m. ET with Sixers Pregame Live at 7:30 p.m.
• Where: Wells Fargo Center
• Broadcast: NBC Sports Philadelphia
• Live stream: NBCSportsPhiladelphia.com and the NBC Sports MyTeams app
And here are three storylines to watch:
Two Cameroonians
It's still an unreal feeling for Pascal Siakam to be starting in the same game as Joel Embiid, the player whose footsteps he mirrored, making his path to the NBA from Cameroon. When you watch tonight's game, think about the rarity of the circumstance. Two players who attended Luc Mbah Moute's camp and Basketball Without Borders program are now starting in the same NBA game. Siakam had a pretty good game in their last matchup too, finishing with 26 points, six rebounds, two assists and one steal in 37 minutes of play.
Kyle Lowry's back is back
Lowry will play in tonight's game, despite missing the Raptors' last game with back soreness. In 42 games with Lowry, Toronto has averaged 115.4 points and is shooting 47.5 percent from the field. (Without him, the Raptors have scored 108.3 points per game and are shooting 45.2 percent from the floor.) He also ranks second in the NBA in assists per game (9.2) and has recorded 10 or more assists in 18 games. Guess who ranks third? Ben Simmons at 8.1 assists per game. Let the comparisons fly …
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Speaking of Ben Simmons …
Over his last five games, the newly minted All-Star is averaging 21.4 points per game on 56.6 percent shooting, with 9.2 rebounds and seven assists. This also happens to be Simmons' longest streak of games with 19 or more points in his career. But Simmons has also struggled taking care of the ball when one of the best defensive wings in the game is on the floor. In his first two games against Toronto and Kawhi Leonard, Simmons committed 11 and seven turnovers, respectively. That's something I'm sure will be on Simmons' mind tonight.
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