Giving that tonight's game is the 76ers' final contest before the regular season kicks off on October 30, you could consider it a dress rehearsal of sorts.
The rotation is all but set at this point - there's nothing else to do now but finalize the roster and tighten up the screws on defense (105.5 PPG allowed in the preseason is not a good look). Oh... and make "Team WHOP" videos.
Seriously, though... even if it's clear that the Sixers won't win many games this season, there's a lot of work that needs to be done between now and next Wednesday. As a team, the 76ers have racked up more turnovers (133) than assists (125) during the exhibition slate. And if they insist on shooting just 41% on the year, Sixers' games will soon come with a TV-14 rating. You may want to disable your V-Chip now so you won't have to worry about it again.
What to look for in tonight's game:
- With most of the roster already accounted for, keep an eye on how many minutes the players on the fringe log against the Timberwolves. Vander Blue and Khalif Wyatt may be battling for the last guard spot, and the same could be said for Gani Lawal and Mac Koshwal in the frontcourt.
- Will Lavoy Allen play tonight? After oversleeping and missing practice last Saturday, Brett Brown had Allen running with the third team earlier this week before making him a healthy scratch against Cleveland on Monday.
- Daniel Orton: After grabbing 10 boards in a little over 20 minutes against the Cavaliers, Orton has all but locked up the backup center job. It'll be interesting to see Orton (who isn't quite in mid-season form just yet) work against two skilled rebounders in Kevin Love and Nikola Pekovic.
- How long will it take for Royce White to foul out? If this basketball thing doesn't work out, White could have a career as a database administrator due to his proficiency at hacking.
Tonight's game is on CSN Philly. We're almost there, kids.
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