The Philadelphia 76ers have found some footing on the road following wins over the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets to begin their road trip. The two wins put a halt to a six-game road losing streak overall and on Wednesday, they will be looking to put an end to another road losing skid when they look to knock off the Toronto Raptors on the road in the regular season for the first time since 2012.
The Raptors have been dealing with a lot of injuries up-and-down their lineup as Pascal Siakam, Marc Gasol, and others were out for extended periods of time, but those players have returned to get Toronto back on track. With the Sixers still missing Joel Embiid, they will have their hands full trying to knock off Toronto in this one.
With that said, it’s time for the complete guide to this one:
How to watch Sixers vs. Raptors
- Date: Wednesday, January 22
- Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
- Location: Scotiabank Arena Toronto, ON
- TV: ESPN, NBC Sports Philadelphia
Injury Report
- Sixers: OUT: Joel Embiid (left hand torn radial collateral ligament)
- Raptors: OUT: Dewan Hernandez (right ankle sprain)
Storylines
Simmons at center
With Enbiid out, the Sixers have tried different options at the center spot. Of course, they just move Al Horford over to the big spot and have him run things, but after Kyle O’Quinn and Jonah Bolden had their struggles on Monday against Brooklyn, the Sixers moved Ben Simmons over to center with some success. He can use his 6-foot-10 frame and his athleticism to be effective in the paint.
“It’s tough for any big to guard me when I’m going at him,” said Simmons. “That’s not knocking any bigs, I’m just pretty fast, I can get to the rim, and then you have a guy like Raul who comes out, has great touch, and great basketball IQ and he’s able to find me and just make the right play and make good reads off that pick.”
Winning on the road
The Sixers understand that they have not been a good road team, they’re only 9-14 on the road compared to a robust 20-2 at home, but they feel like they’re beginning to find their way. The Knicks and the Nets aren’t world-beaters, but they are two important wins for this team to get some confidence going on the road a bit.
“It feels great. I think we know the stigma on us on the road,” said Harris. “We know what we need to get better at too. To come in both games, close games too, and close it out on the road is a great thing for us and we’ve got to continue on to the next game.”
Prediction
Wednesday will tell a lot about this team. Either the two wins to begin the trip were a sign of things to come or they just took advantage of lesser opponents. The Raptors are getting healthy with Siakam, Gasol, and Kyle Lowry back and without Embiid to defend the basket, they will be tough to stop. It’s hard to see Philadelphia getting this done on Wednesday, but they also do have a tendency of rising to the occasion when it’s needed.
Pick: Raptors, but it could go either way
Sixers vs. Raptors season series
Game 1 November 25: 101-96 Raptors
Game 2 December 8: 110-104 Sixers
Game 3 January 22:
Game 4 March 18:
[lawrence-related id=24005,23996,23978]