76ers at Clippers
Philadelphia star center Joel Embiid could sit out his second straight game when the 76ers visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday. Embiid sat out Sunday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers and the 76ers were drilled 129-95 for their largest margin of defeat this season.
The status of Embiid will likely be firmed up Tuesday but his teammates badly missed him against Portland while digging a 70-41 halftime deficit. "We win together and we lose together, honestly," Philadelphia point guard Ben Simmons told reporters afterward. "Defensively, we weren't up to it. I don't think we played hard enough. I know we had guys who were tired from travel, but that's not an excuse to not come in here and at least play hard defensively." The Clippers suffered a 122-111 home loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday after winning four of their previous five games. Forward Danilo Gallinari had 21 points and nine rebounds against the Spurs to narrowly miss his third double-double in four games.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, NBCS Philadelphia-Plus, Prime Ticket (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE 76ERS (23-14): Philadelphia could have used a productive game from swingman Jimmy Butler with Embiid sidelined but he was woeful while scoring five points on 2-of-12 shooting. "The entire game we played with low energy, myself included," Butler told reporters. "The good part about it is that it's only one game and we can fix it." The 76ers shot just 35.4 percent from the field - including 8-of-43 from 3-point range - and were outrebounded 59-36 by Portland.
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (21-15): Los Angeles wasn't ready to play when the second half started against the Spurs and was outscored 39-19 in the third quarter. "I wish I knew, I wish I had the answer, I wish I had the secret," Gallinari told reporters. "I guess sometimes it happens. It cannot happen often, and hopefully it is not going to happen again." Reserve power forward Montrezl Harrell had 21 points against San Antonio and scored 20 or more points in four of the past eight games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The 76ers won the past three meetings, including a 122-113 victory on Nov. 1 when Embiid scored 41 points.
2. Los Angeles G Lou Williams scored 16 points on 4-of-14 shooting against San Antonio after recording a season-best 36 points against the Los Angeles Lakers one night earlier.
3. Philadelphia SG JJ Redick is averaging 15 points on 13-of-34 shooting in three games against the Clippers since departing as a free agent in the summer of 2017.