The LA Clippers are looking to sweep their season series against the Philadelphia 76ers, who are led by their former coach, Doc Rivers. Unlike last time, though, Joel Embiid will be there to defend Philly’s honor.

Catch the game tomorrow, Saturday, at 7:00 AM, Manila time.

HOME TEAM: Philadelphia 76ers (38-17, 21-5 at home)

Projected Starting Five

  • Simmons
  • Curry
  • Green
  • Tobias
  • Embiid

The Sixers are starting to gain back momentum after a bumpy stretch. They will head to tomorrow’s contest having won each of their last three games, where they have also held two opponents to under 96 points.

The winning streak is a good building off point as the guys look to help their coach, Doc Rivers, get a win against his former team. They failed in doing so in the previous meeting just two weeks ago, losing 122-112, but it was without All-Star center Joel Embiid.

Embiid will now be in his seventh game back from a knee injury. He’s looking like the top MVP candidate that he is again, as he is averaging 29.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, and two blocks per game in that span. In Thursday’s win over the Brooklyn Nets, he powered through for 39 points and 13 boards.

Philly’s other All-Star, meanwhile, Ben Simmons, has been off for a couple of weeks now. His 17 points against the Nets yesterday was his highest output in his last 11 outings.

Tobias Harris, as he has been all year, is the reliable second scorer. He’s averaging 20.5 points on 52.1% shooting this season, and he put up a game-high 29 points in that first clash with the Clippers.

The Sixers are only 3-6 in their last nine games ATS.

ROAD TEAM: LA Clippers (39-18, 17-10 on the road)

Projected Starting Five

  • Jackson
  • George/Kennard
  • Leonard/Mann
  • Morris
  • Zubac

As every NBA follower would know, the Clippers are the hottest team in the league right now. They have stitched together seven consecutive wins and have won 13 of their last 15, one of which was that mentioned first meeting with the Sixers.

The usual suspects made the most damage in that victory, with Kawhi Leonard scoring a team-high 28 and Paul George adding 24 to go along nine rebounds and nine assists. The two were sidelined in Thursday’s come-from-behind, 100-98 win over the Detroit Pistons, but they may be back for tomorrow’s tilt since it’s against their vengeful former head coach.

Do note, however, that Leonard isn’t as likely to play as his buddying star. He has missed the last three games due to an ailing foot. Either way, George will be someone to look out for as he is putting up 34.3 points on 55.2% shooting in his last four games.

The Clippers’ supporting cast is pretty deep so it’s anyone’s guess who’ll blow up. It can be Terrence Mann, who had 23 points on 10-for-12 shooting vs. the Sixers, or Marcus Morris, who has scored 33 and 22 points in his last two. Maybe it’s Nicolas Batum, Luke Kennard, or Reggie Jackson, since they’ve had their good spurts recently.

The Clipps are 5-1-1 in their last seven games ATS.

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PREDICTIONS:

Spread:

The Sixers (-2.5) have the momentum and are playing behind their home crowd. They should be able to cover the spread.

Over/Under:

While both are very capable offenses, this may be a defensive battle so it’s probably better to lean on the under at 225.5