Ding, ding!
Saturday's matinee will feature the second matchup of Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond when the Sixers take on the Pistons at Wells Fargo Center.
Embiid, as he has throughout their matchups, got the better of Drummond back on Oct. 23. Embiid had 33 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks while Drummond went just 6 of 20 from the field for 14 points with 16 boards and five turnovers. Thanks to a 50-point performance by Blake Griffin, the Pistons won the game in OT.
There was also the flopping incident. Late in the fourth quarter, Drummond swung his arms, barely grazing Embiid's head. Embiid embellished the contact and Drummond was called for his second technical and was tossed from the game. The NBA rescinded that technical and gave Embiid a warning for the flop.
The trash talk, as per usual, was glorious.
"I think I own a lot of real estate in his head," Embiid told reporters after the game. "We lost, so I'm not supposed to talk trash, but he knows damn well that he can't guard me."
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Drummond was obviously not thrilled with that.
Perhaps the Sixers should've broken out the Rocky-inspired uniforms for this heavyweight match. This should be fun.
• Wilson Chandler appears to be close to making his Sixers debut. He was a full participant in practice Friday and is officially listed as questionable. With Chandler's return imminent, who will be the odd man out in Brett Brown's rotation?
Given how well Mike Muscala has looked at both the four and five spots, I wouldn't be surprised to see Amir Johnson lose some minutes. The veteran center is steady as they come and gives the Sixers solid defense and energy off the bench.
But, as Brown has alluded to several times, Muscala is a "modern-day player" that can hit threes and moves his feet well in the Sixers' switch-happy defense. At 6-foot-9 and a physical presence to him, Chandler can certainly play that combo forward role.
In general, Chandler should help improve this bench significantly. Along with Muscala and JJ Redick, the Sixers will now bring three smart and skilled veterans off their bench. Chandler brings toughness but is also a decent shooter and does have some ability to create his own shot. He should be an effective cog for the remainder of the season.
Below are the essentials for Saturday's matchup:
When: 1 p.m. EST
Where: Wells Fargo Center
Broadcast: NBC Sports Philadelphia (Pregame Live starts at 12:30 EST)
Live stream: NBCSportsPhiladelphia.com and the MyTeams by NBC Sports app
Roster
Jerryd Bayless, G, 6-3/210, No. 0
Jonah Bolden, F, 6-10, 220, No. 43
Wilson Chandler, F, 6-9/225, No. 22
Robert Covington, F, 6-9/225, No. 33
Joel Embiid, C, 7-0/260, No. 21
Markelle Fultz, G, 6-4/200, No. 20
* Demetrius Jackson, G, 6-1/200, No. 11
Amir Johnson, F/C, 6-9/240, No. 5
Furkan Korkmaz, G/F, 6-7/185, No. 30
T.J. McConnell, G, 6-2/190, No. 12
* Shake Milton, G, 6-6/205, No. 18
Mike Muscala, F/C, 6-11/240, No. 31
JJ Redick, G 6-4/195, No. 17 13
Dario Saric, F, 6-10/250, No. 9
Landry Shamet, G, 6-5/190, No. 23
Ben Simmons, G/F, 6-10/230, No. 25
Zhaire Smith, G, 6-4/200, No. 8
* Two-way player
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