The Houston Rockets (3-1) travel to Philadelphia to take on Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and the Sixers (1-3).
Let’s just forget the Markelle Fultz drama for a second and that a cortisone shot is the exact opposite of having a shoulder drained of fluid. That will work itself … hopefully.
The Rockets head into the City of Brotherly Love coming off a loss to the suddenly fun and totally surprising Memphis Grizzlies. Chris Paul is still hurt, which means Eric Gordon has been inserted into the starting lineup. Gordon still has his minutes running the second unit, though that unit could still use a stagger of either Paul or Harden, if only for their incredible handling of an offense.
As for the Sixers, they finally got on the board after a win over the Detroit Pistons on Monday. Simmons recorded his first career triple-double in only his fourth game and Embiid continued to dominate — scoring 30 points in 29 minutes on only 15 shot attempts. These two are the future cornerstones of the Sixers already, and if Fultz can work out his shoulder issues — or at least get on the same page as the Sixers’ medical staff — then he should come along fine. I still have faith.
Date: Wednesday, Oct. 25
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Venue: Wells Fargo Center
TV Info: NSPA, ATSW
Live Stream: NBA League Pass, FuboTV
Next: All live stream info in one place
Sportsbook Review lists the Sixers as three-point dogs. Their defense was tremendous against the Pistons, who only made six 3-pointers for the game. Embiid is still an absolute beast, and with his presence down low on a smaller frontcourt, and with Simmons’ ability to drive and kick and get to the rim, the Sixers may be able to steal one. But their offense is prone to lapses, and if those lapses go too long, then the Rockets will torch them from deep and make a run too big to come back from.