Kings at 76ers
Playing on the road without Joel Embiid was too tall a task for the Philadelphia 76ers, but a return home with their star center available makes them a different team. The 76ers will try to snap a four-game slide when Embiid goes up against DeMarcus Cousins and the visiting Sacramento Kings on Wednesday.
Embiid's minutes restriction and pre-designed usage plan may not be the best thing for Philadelphia's win-loss record, though the rookie probably would not have made all the difference in Monday's 122-95 loss to the Raptors -- the 76ers' 22nd straight road loss. Embiid's multiple foot surgeries and two entire missed seasons prompted the franchise to move ahead slowly with the finally-healthy big man, and he should be back in the lineup on Wednesday. The Kings will put Embiid up against Cousins, another supremely talented big man capable of blocking shots and raining down 3-pointers. Cousins recorded 36 points and 20 rebounds on Monday but missed three shots and a pair of free throws in overtime during a 101-95 setback at Washington.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CSN California (Sacramento), CSN Philadelphia
ABOUT THE KINGS (7-11): Sacramento is getting to the point where it expects to win tight games, and Cousins took the loss on Monday hard. "Overtime, I'm sick about that," Cousins told reporters. "I feel like I completely chocked in overtime. I'm not happy about the overtime." The Kings won three of their previous four games and continue to get solid contributions from point guard Ty Lawson, who moved back to a reserve role and is averaging 12.3 points on 13-of-25 shooting in the last three games.
ABOUT THE 76ERS (4-14): Philadelphia guard Jerryd Bayless sat out Monday with wrist soreness and played in just three of the first 18 games due to the same ailment. The 28-year-old, who signed with the 76ers as a free agent over the summer, is supposed to be the starting point guard for a team that continues to search for offensive production from the backcourt. “I feel like that is so fluid,” Philadelphia coach Brett Brown told reporters of Bayless’ status. “I don’t know if we’re going to see him on Wednesday. I think we’ll know more when we get back (home).”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Kings SG Arron Afflalo scored in single digits in four straight games and six of the last seven.
2. 76ers F Dario Saric is shooting 26.3 percent from the floor in the last five games.
3. The road team took each of the two meetings last season, with Sacramento posting a 114-110 triumph in Philadelphia on Feb. 10.