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The Philadelphia 76ers will host the Portland Trail Blazers in their home arena, Wells Fargo Center, on Thursday night after going undefeated in their three-game road trip.
The 76ers have been looking like championship contenders as we continue through week six of the 2020-21 NBA season. Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers are amongst the middle of the pack in the Western Conference, sitting at an 11-9 record.
Match Details
Fixture: Portland Trail Blazers vs Philadelphia 76ers | NBA Season 2020-21
Date & Time: Thursday, February 4th, 8 PM ET
Venue: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Portland Trail Blazers Preview
The Portland Trail Blazers have been plagued with injuries this season as two of their key starters, CJ McCollum (broken foot) and Jusuf Nurkick (broken wrist), are sidelined for multiple weeks. To make matters worse, their five-time All-Star, Damian Lillard, is now listed as questionable against the Philadelphia 76ers due to an abdominal strain.
Outside the injury situation, the Portland Trail Blazers currently sit in seventh place of the Western Conference. However, their wins have mostly been against middling/bad teams.
The Trail Blazers need to receive strong production from their role players as well as their bench if they are to earn a victory over one of the top teams in the NBA, the Philadelphia 76ers.
Key Player - Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony moved up to 13th on the all-time scoring list during Tuesday night's game.
The 36-year-old recorded 21 points in the victory over the Washington Wizards, placing him at 26,671 points through his 17 NBA seasons.
Despite Anthony's historic night, he has been shooting at a career-low 33% this season.
Carmelo Anthony will need a vintage performance on Thursday night to give his team the extra boost they need to upset the Philadelphia 76ers.
Portland Trail Blazers Predicted Lineup
G Damian Lillard, G Gary Trent Jr., F Robert Covington, F Rodney Hood, C Enes Kanter
Philadelphia 76ers Preview
The Philadelphia 76ers are currently atop of the Eastern Conference with a 16-6 record. They continued their early-season dominance in their game against the Charlotte Hornets, where they earned their fourth consecutive win 118-111.
The 76ers' success can be credited to their suffocating defense. They currently rank in the top three for defensive efficiency, allowing only 108 points per 100 possessions, according to basketball-refernce.com. Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid's defensive presence cause matchup problems for nearly every team in the league.
We expect the Philadelphia 76ers to be full of energy and to stay disciplined in their defense against a shorthanded Portland Trail Blazers side.
Key Player - Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid has arguably been the best player in the NBA this season. The three-time All-Star is in the middle of one of the best scoring stretches of his career.
He has recently averaged 35.33 points in his last six games, making him the first player since Allen Iverson to score over 200 points during a six-game span, via Justin Kubatko:
Also Read: What is Allen Iverson’s net worth now?
If Embiid can maintain his MVP level of play on Thursday night, the Philadelphia 76ers will have no issues against the Portland Trail Blazers at home.
Philadelphia 76ers Predicted Lineup
G Ben Simmons, G Seth Curry, F Danny Green, F Tobias Harris, C Joel Embiid
Trail Blazers vs 76ers Match Prediction
The Philadelphia 76ers will have multiple matchup advantages over the Portland Trail Blazers. With the Trail Blazers suffering multiple injuries, we expect them to struggle to put points on the board against the ferocious 76ers defense.
Look for Embiid to display another monster scoring night as he will be able to dominate the paint against Enes Kanter and the rest of Portlands frontcourt.
Where to watch Trail Blazers vs 76ers
Local coverage of the game will be available on NBC Sports Philadelphia and NBC Sports Northwest. You can also live stream the same via the NBA League Pass.
Guess the Lakers players!
