Pelicans at 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers stunned the basketball world on draft night by trading All-Star point guard Jrue Holiday to the New Orleans Pelicans. Holiday makes his return to Philadelphia on Friday as the Pelicans and 76ers square off for the second time in two weeks. The first matchup was heavily one-sided, as New Orleans coasted to a 135-98 home victory behind Anthony Davis' 13 points, nine rebounds and nine blocks.
Holiday is averaging 14 points and 7.3 assists for the Pelicans, a year after he averaged 17.7 and eight for the Sixers. The primary player that Holiday was traded for, rookie big man Nerlens Noel is out for the season as he recovers from a collegiate knee injury, although Philadelphia could have used him on Wednesday, when the team allowed 52 points in the paint in an 11-point loss to Orlando. The Sixers have dropped 10 of 13 since opening the season with a surprising 3-0 record.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, Fox Sports New Orleans, CSN Philadelphia
ABOUT THE PELICANS (6-8): In addition to Holiday, Pelicans starting center Jason Smith (10.8 ppg) is another former Sixer who was traded to New Orleans. Holiday had 17 points and Smith added 14 in Tuesday's one-point loss to Golden State — the Pelicans' second straight defeat following a three-game winning streak. Eric Gordon's decisive 3-pointer rimmed out at the buzzer against the Warriors, prompting Holiday to say, "We have a lot of heart. That hurt, though."
ABOUT THE 76ERS (6-10): Rookie guard Michael Carter-Williams, who has replaced Holiday at the point, has averaged 26 points over his last two games and has 16 steals over his last three contests. Thaddeus Young returned from a three-game absence due to personal reasons and notched 26 points in 28 minutes off the bench. Sixers center Spencer Hawes, who averages 16.8 points and 10.3 rebounds, sat out with a knee injury against the Magic.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Pelicans are 1-5 on the road this season.
2. As part of the Holiday trade, Philadelphia receives New Orleans' first-round pick in the 2014 draft, as long as it's not a top-five selection.
3. Sixers SF Evan Turner continued to enjoy the best season of his four-year career on Wednesday night, recording 17 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.