76ers at Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets will be looking to post their fourth straight home victory when they host the Philadelphia 76ers in a clash of styles on Wednesday. The Nuggets snapped a three-game slide by closing out their road trip with a 119-100 win in Orlando on Sunday and having been trying to get out in transition and push the tempo under interim coach Melvin Hunt. The 76ers rank last in the NBA in scoring average and had trouble in the second half on Tuesday.
Philadelphia seemed to solve its scoring woes went it put up 70 first-half points in Sacramento on Tuesday, but the 76ers managed only 36 after the break and went the final 6:10 of the game without a field goal in a 107-106 loss to the Kings. Philadelphia will need to find more consistent scoring to match up with Denver forward Danilo Gallinari, who is coming off a career-high 40 points against Orlando. Gallinari likely will be matched up against 76ers forward Robert Covington, who gave his team a chance with 12 straight points in the fourth quarter and finished with 21.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, TCN (Philadelphia), Altitude (Denver)
ABOUT THE 76ERS (17-54): Philadelphia’s loss in Sacramento was its 16th straight on the road, and the team is closing out a three-game trip with the Nuggets. The 76ers are focused on individual improvement at this point, and reserve power forward Thomas Robinson put together his second straight strong performance with a career-high 16 points and eight rebounds Tuesday. Robinson, who was briefly a member of the Nuggets at the trade deadline before being released and signed by Philadelphia, has scored in double figures in each of the his three games.
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (27-44): Gallinari missed most of two seasons recovering from knee injuries and is enjoying his best stretch of the season while averaging 19.2 points in March. “(Gallinari) could become better; he could become a smarter player,” Hunt told the Denver Post. “Athleticism can be honed. I’m just thankful for him to have time. He may not be the same, but a lot of the great players, when they come back from injury, they add something, they’ll subtract something, they’ll emphasize something. He’s no different.” Gallinari’s big game on Sunday marked his fifth outing this month of at least 21 points.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Covington is 9-of-15 from 3-point range in the last three games.
2. Nuggets G Randy Foye (illness) sat out Sunday but is expected back Wednesday.
3. Philadelphia won its trip to Denver last season and earned a 105-98 win in the first meeting this season at home Feb. 3.