76ers at Rockets
THE STORY: An offense that has gone into a deep freeze has sent the Philadelphia 76ers into a four-game spiral heading toward the All-Star break. The Sixers will look to avoid a fifth consecutive defeat Wednesday night when they visit the Houston Rockets – an opponent they have dominated in recent years. Philadelphia scored 24 second-half points in a loss to Dallas last week and managed 10 first-quarter points in a defeat at Memphis on Tuesday. “We’ve been in a little funk offensively,” swingman Andre Iguodala said.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSP, FSH
ABOUT THE 76ERS (20-13): Philadelphia scored only 76 points against a Memphis squad that had lost in Houston 24 hours earlier. One silver lining is that PG Jrue Holiday appears to have righted himself. After back-to-back games in which he scored a combined six points on 1-of-17 shooting, Holiday had 20 points Sunday and netted a team-high 22 Tuesday. Rookie center Lavoy Hawkins scored a season-high 14 points, but he had little help inside with Elton Brand (thumb) sitting out and Spencer Hawes (Achilles) sidelined indefinitely.
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (19-14): Houston has won two straight and three of four on its current six-game homestand. Leading scorer Kevin Martin may be getting back into a groove after a dismal six-game stretch earlier this month in which he was held to four points or fewer four times. He has scored in double figures in four straight games, including 22 in the win over Memphis. Point guard Kyle Lowry is coming off 32- and 24-point performances that included nine assists in each game.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Philadelphia has failed to score 100 points in 16 consecutive games.
2. Houston has lost seven of eight to the Sixers, including the last four at home. The Rockets haven’t beaten Philly in Houston since Jan. 29, 2007.