| Philadelphia 76ers Game Thread #3 | ||
|---|---|---|
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@ |  |
| 1-1 | 0-2 | |
| Location: EnergySolutions Arena | ||
| Time: December 30, 2011, 9:00 PM Eastern | ||
| Channel: CSN, NBA League Pass | ||
| Probable starters: | ||
| Jrue Holiday | PG | Devin Harris |
| Jodie Meeks | SG | Raja Bell |
| Andre Iguodala | SF | Gordon Hayward |
| Elton Brand | PF | Paul Millsap |
| Spencer Hawes | C | Al Jefferson |
| Advanced Stats: | ||
| 105.0 | Off | 88.4 |
| 97.9 | Def | 111.1 |
| 52.37% | eFG% | 42.01% |
| 44.35% | deFG% | 52.23% |
| 14.73% | TOR | 14.58% |
| 24.71% | ORR | 27.66% |
| 74.75% | DRB | 71.92% |
| 21.9% | FTR | 24.9% |
| ||
The Sixers open up their first back-to-back of the season tonight at Utah, coming off a 103-83 shellacking of Phoenix on Wednesday.
The Jazz have struggled so far, to say the least. They're 0-2, losing the games by 25 and 17 points, although both were on the road against good teams. On paper, this should be a game that's ripe for the taking. The Jazz have some size, but the Sixers should be able to get some shots at the rim, something they have yet to do so far in the young season.
Keys to the game:
- Getting to the line. The Sixers have been pretty anemic in getting to the line. In fact, they've gotten there the fifth lowest, in terms of free throw rate. Luckily, Utah has been the 4th most frequent in sending opponents to the line.
- Turnovers. Unlike last year, the Sixers are struggling right now to hang onto the ball. They need to play more like the win at Phoenix (13.0 turnover rate) than the loss in Portlan (19.6 turnover rate).
- Contain Al Jefferson. The big fella averaged 24.5 and 15 in the two games against the Sixers last year, including a 30 point, 17 rebound, 6 assist performance in a win at Utah.
- Good Jrue. After 6 disappointing quarters to start the season, Jrue seemed to turn it around somewhat in the second half against Phoenix. They need him to turn it around, and quickly.
Tip is at 9 pm eastern time. This is your game thread.
Prediction: Sixers win, 98-87