76ers at Suns
Rookie center Joel Embiid is expected to play in his career-best fifth straight game when the Philadelphia 76ers visit the Phoenix Suns on Friday. Philadelphia hasn't played since Tuesday - a 108-93 loss in New Orleans - and doesn't compete again until Monday in Sacramento, and the oft-injured Embiid might not be rested until the 76ers conclude their road trip with back-to-back contests in Utah and Denver on Dec. 29-30.
"We earmarked this a while back, where you say you’ve got X games of Joel,” 76ers coach Brett Brown told the team website. “You felt like it was a time that, two things - he could move forward, and he could help the team move forward and get some level of consistency. I think we’re achieving that.” Embiid averages team bests of 17.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks - accomplishing all this in 24.3 minutes, and scored a career-high 33 points in Sunday's 108-107 victory over Brooklyn. Philadelphia won the first of two meetings this season 120-105 on Nov. 19 for its third straight victory in the series as Embiid scored 26 points - his second-highest career total. Phoenix, which is 5-4 versus the Eastern Conference and 3-17 against the West, fell to Houston 125-121 on Wednesday for its fourth straight loss.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, CSN Philadelphia, FSN Arizona Plus (Phoenix)
ABOUT THE 76ERS (7-21): Ersan Ilyasova (13.4 points, 6.3 rebounds) averaged 16.4 and 7.4 in his first 10 games this month. Jahlil Okafor (11.3, 5.0), a 6-11 forward, helps form an imposing front court with the 7-0 Embiid, who has eight 20-point games this season - twice as many as the next rookie (Denver's Jamal Murray). T.J. McConnell recorded five assists Tuesday and is the only NBA player averaging at least 4.5 assists (4.8) and fewer than 20 minutes.
ABOUT THE SUNS (8-21): Point guard Eric Bledsoe paces Phoenix in scoring (19.9 points per game) while backcourt mate Devin Booker (19.1) is coming off his best all-around game of the season Wednesday with 28 points while matching season highs of seven assists and six rebounds. Bledsoe needs 24 points Friday to rejoin Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo, Houston's James Harden, Cleveland's LeBron James and Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook as the only NBA players to average at least 20 points, five assists and five rebounds. Tyson Chandler grabs 11.5 rebounds per game as he tries to join Charles Barkley and Moses Malone as the only players in NBA history to average at least 10 in their 16th season or later.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The game features five players from the University of Kentucky in Philadelphia F-C Nerlens Noel, and Phoenix Gs Bledsoe, Booker, Brandon Knight and Tyler Ulis.
2. The 76ers are 2-9 versus the Western Conference with their only other victory a 99-88 decision in New Orleans on Dec. 8.
3. Philadelphia has a point differential of minus-7.7 while Phoenix is minus-7.0. Only Brooklyn (minus-7.8) was worse entering Thursday's games.