Sixers-Jazz Preview & Game Thread

The Sixers travel to Salt Lake City tonight to play the Jazz. Joel Embiid has been ruled out, presumably because he is still not in shape and the altitude in Utah destroys players who are in shape. Jerryd Bayless has also been ruled out indefinitely with a left wrist issue. Good thing we haven’t seen that story before...

The Jazz are still finding their identity after losing Gordon Hayward to the Celtics in free agency and George Hill departed for Sacramento. They sit at 5-5 after their first 10 games. Their defense remains outstanding, anchored by Rudy Gobert, but they have struggled on offense, scoring only 102.3 points per 100 possessions.

This will be a nice test for Richaun Holmes, who will be making his first start of the season after recovering from his wrist injury. It was great having him back against the Pacers — his brand of energetic pick and roll play is both dynamic and fun to watch. But if he’s going to take the next step in his development, he’s going to have to learn how to play more solid defense in the hpick and roll. Today will give us a chance to see if he has improved in that sense.

Projected Lineups:

Sixers:

TJ McConnell - JJ Redick - Robert Covington - Ben Simmons - Richaun Holmes

Jazz:

Ricky Rubio - Rodney Hood - Joe Ingles - Derrick Favors - Rudy Gobert