NBA Match Preview: New Jersey Nets vs Philadelphia 76ers
In an Eastern Conference clash, New Jersey Nets and Philadelphia 76ers prepare for their second meeting of the season tonight. Having hosted the Nets then, this time around the Sixers get ready to visit Nets at the Prudential Centre.
Trailing the Eastern Conference standings a few weeks back, the Sixers have turned things around bringing themselves in the playoff mix. Although, Sixers have scraped for themselves a few wins this week winning three of five games this month, their mark
(8-15) for the season still lies in the negative.
Sixers played three home matches last week finishing it at a 2-1 win loss mark. Their most recent win came Sunday when 76ers met New Orleans Hornets. Jrue Holiday with 20 points and 13 assists coupled with Andre Iguodala’s 16 points led the Hornets to their
third win at home this month.
Following their victory, Iguodala said, "We just trying to find a good rhythm. The guys are starting to believe in themselves. As long as we continue to play the right style of basketball, we'll have success."
Another strong point playing in the Sixers’ favour is their defence. Coach Doug Collins believes his team’s defence has been terrific lately and he is right to say so too. In their last seven games, Sixers have only yielded an average of 88.3 points, as
opposed to the 101.8 points in the beginning of the season.
Although, Sixers have a strong defence, they continue to fall behind on the road. Standing at a 1-10 win loss mark on the road, the Sixers away performance needs to take a turn for the best if they hope to win one over the Nets tonight. Sixers currently
stand at an eight game losing streak in their eleven away matches this season.
Currently trailing the Eastern Conference standings, the Nets have been having their worst couple of weeks in the season. Standing at a disappointing 6-18 this season, Nets are currently on a seven game losing streak.
Their last win came last month on the 28th when they hosted and defeated the Portland Trail Blazers by a two point margin with the scoreboard showing 98-96.
Nets' current losing streak started on the 30th of last month when they lost 100-111 to the New York Knicks. Their latest defeat in this streak came on 12th Dec Sunday when they hosted the Los Angeles Lakers. Brooke Lopez scored 25
points while Devin Harris registered 16 points with 10 assists. These stats however, still weren’t enough to do away with the Lakers.
Following their defeat, Harris said, "They executed and we didn't. We missed a ton of shots at the rim, shots we normally make just didn't go down for us."
Given their better recent form in addition to their lead in the head to head, the Sixers are clearly the favourites to win tonight. Though it can never be said for sure who will win. Maybe the Nets will finally catch a break on the road. Will the 76ers up
the lead to 2-0? Or will the Nets level the season head to head score?
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