Nets at 76ers
With time running out in their quest to secure the Atlantic Division title - and with it, home-court advantage in at least the opening round of the Eastern Conference playoffs - the Brooklyn Nets face nothing but must-win games the rest of the way. To that end, they couldn't have asked for a better opponent Saturday as they visit the woeful Philadelphia 76ers. Brooklyn enters the weekend 2 1/2 games behind Toronto with just seven games remaining.
The Nets did their part to keep pace with the Raptors, rolling past the visiting Detroit Pistons 116-104 behind a 23-point performance from guard Shawn Livingston. The Nets bombed away from beyond the arc - connecting on 15-of-31 attempts - while hitting at a 60.5-percent clip from the field against the overwhelmed Pistons. They'll face a 76ers team headed for a plum seat at the draft lottery, but coming off an impressive 111-102 win over Boston.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, YES (Brooklyn), CSN Philadelphia
ABOUT THE NETS (41-34): Brooklyn faces an uphill climb to the Atlantic Division crown, and will likely need to win out in order to have a chance. The Nets will play four of their final seven games away from the Barclays Center, including their next three - they have back-to-back games in Florida coming up, with the Miami Heat up Tuesday and the Orlando Magic on Wednesday. Brooklyn then returns home for games against against Atlanta, Orlando and the Knicks before closing out the regular season in Cleveland.
ABOUT THE 76ERS (17-59): Much of the focus in Philadelphia this season has been on the development of rookie point guard Michael Carter-Williams, who is considered a front-runner for the Rookie of the Year award. But a second-year player - thought to be a throw-in when he was dealt to the 76ers - is turning heads. Center Henry Sims, who came to Philadelphia in a trade that sent Spencer Hawes to the Cleveland Cavaliers, is averaging better than 10 points per game with the 76ers and had a career-best 24 in the win over Boston.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Brooklyn has won six of the last eight meetings, and leads the season series 2-1.
2. Sims is averaging 15.6 points over his last eight games.
3. Neither team has done well on the tail end of back-to-backs; the Nets are 5-12 on the season, while the 76ers are 3-15.