The Philadelphia 76ers play host and should be in good shape to win the season series. They beat the Brooklyn Nets twice in three meetings this season.

HOME TEAM: Philadelphia 76ers (34-21, 25-2 at home)

The Sixers enter as owners of the best home record in the league. They also won three in a row before heading to the All-Star break, with the most recent being a 110-103 victory over a complete LA Clippers. All that, along with their third-ranked defense (106.2 PPG) will be the driving force into the hot-and-cold 2019-20 season.

The offense, as always, will work around Joel Embiid despite his recent slump. The big man will be looking to regain his rhythm as he has only compiled 20.5 points and 9.8 rebounds per game on 38.5% shooting in his last six games – the last two have him scoring over 25 but with his season-long inconsistency, who knows? He was also sidelined in each of the last three match-ups with the Nets.

Ben Simmons has benefitted the most in Embiid’s absence in the season series. He is averaging juicy fantasy numbers in the match-ups – 24.7 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 8.7 APG, 2.3 SPG, 1.7 BPG, 75.7 FG%. Tobias Harris is right behind him with 22 PPG and 7.3 RPG.

ROAD TEAM: Brooklyn Nets (25-28, 9-16 on the road)

The Nets come in having won four of their last five games, scoring 114.6 PPG and holding opponents to under 98 points thrice over that span. They dominated two bottom-feeding teams (Suns and Warriors) by 22 and 31 points, edged out the sixth-seeded Indiana Pacers, and then eased past the defending champion Toronto Raptors right before the break, 105-91.

With the injured Kyrie Irving (shoulder) out indefinitely, the scoring load has shifted back to Spencer Dinwiddie. The 26-year-old is posting a decent 16.2 points and 7.8 assists since, but has struggled getting buckets as he has only shot 35.8% overall and 25% from three. The redeeming factor, however, is that he’s averaging 24.7 points in the Philly series – he had a team-high in each meeting.

The secondary role will be between Caris LeVert, a good shot creator, Jarrett Allen, an interior presence, and Taruean Prince and Joe Harris, two “3 and D” guys. No one has particularly stood out from the group, but all four are tallying double-digits in the season series.

PREDICTION:

The Sixers are almost unbeatable at home, and their energy is heightened now that everyone’s healthy. They should be able to dust off the Nets, 115-106.