NBA games of the week: The Sixers are peaking
By Chazz Scogna
Monday Mar. 26: Denver at Philadelphia, 7:00 p.m. ET
One of my favorite things about basketball is not just the matchups between stars of a position, but the number of times they can go head-to-head in a game. In football, for example, a receiver-defensive back matchup could only surface about five to six times a game depending on factors such as gameflow. In basketball, behemoths like Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic will be crashing bodies for near 30 minutes of playing time. And, considering Embiid sat the last time these two teams met, to see their unique dominance square off makes me giddy.
The Sixers’ peaking at this part of the season coincides with their easier schedule. Though Philly’s starting five remains one of the best lineups in the NBA, their dropoff to the bench and turnover issues always leaves them open to blowing leads. They finished the third quarter against Minnesota up 29, only to see the starters have to rush to put their gear back on to stabilize a Wolves onslaught executed by a lineup of bench players.
The Sixers can afford to rest their starters down the stretch of these types of games because, other than Minnesota, who’s one of the best teams they’ll face the rest of the season, they won’t play many teams who will punish their inability to ensure a 30-point lead in the third quarter doesn’t transform into a deficit. And thier issues could shrink once the benches shorten and back-to-backs end.
What a week for Denver. After opening Monday against the Sixers, the Nuggets travel to Toronto then Oklahoma City before they wrap up against Milwaukee on Easter. They’re still on the outside of the playoff race, but have two games left against Minnesota, who sits seventh, which could be huge for playoff implications and tiebreakers.