Updated: 7:06 p.m.
The Sixers (23-14) are finishing up their West Coast road trip tonight, taking on the Suns (9-29) on the second night of a back-to-back.
Jimmy Butler and Wilson Chandler are both out with an upper-respiratory infection. Joel Embiid, who played in the win over the Clippers last night but sat with a sore knee in Portland, is listed as questionable.
• When: 9 p.m. ET with Sixers Pregame Live at 8:30 p.m.
• Where: Talking Stick Resort Arena
• Broadcast: NBC Sports Philadelphia
• Live stream: NBCSportsPhiladelphia.com and the NBC Sports MyTeams app
Here are three storylines ahead of the matchup.
10 days on the road
By the time the Sixers arrived at their hotel rooms in Phoenix, it was close to 4 a.m. On top of this being the second night of a back-to-back, it is also the final game of their longest road trip of the season. It's been 10 days on the road and some guys are feeling it and some, like Butler and Chandler, are a little under the weather. Don't be surprised if you see tired legs tonight.
Ben Simmons' jump shot
Simmons shooting has been a topic of conversation since the start of the season, and Brett Brown has reiterated that while it is an important part of his growth. It is also important that it comes on his own terms. It seems as though Simmons has made a concentrated effort this road trip, starting with their Christmas day game and continuing over to these last two games. I'll be looking for Simmons looking for that pull-up.
Philadelphia 76ers
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No. 1 overall pick
Tonight we get another up-close look at the latest No. 1 draft pick, DeAndre Ayton. Ayton is coming off consecutive games of scoring at least 25 points. In their Dec. 29th game against Denver, Ayton scored a career-high 33 points on 16 of 20 shooting plus 14 rebounds (10 offensive) and a career-high four steals, becoming the first NBA rookie to shoot at least 80 percent from the field on 20-plus attempts since Hakeem Olajuwon. Always fun to watch future stars in action.
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