The Portland Trail Blazers start a three-game road trip against Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday afternoon. After opening the season with two losses the Blazers will look to get off the schneid against Philly. On Friday the Blazers didn’t look like a huge threat to beat Orlando, but they looked better than against the Los Angeles Clippers on opening day. Portland showed determination to fight back numerous times to keep the final result in at least a small amount of doubt well into the fourth quarter. Sometimes that’s all you can ask for.
The 76ers opened the season with a very tight loss to the Milwaukee Bucks thanks to a certain Damian Lillard taking over late in the game, but Philadelphia rebounded by beating the Toronto Raptors 114-107 in Toronto. Snagging all of the headlines though is the continuing drama between the 76ers and James Harden. Will he play? Will he even be in the building? Stay tuned.
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Philadelphia 76ers – Sunday, October 29 – 4:30 p.m. PDT
How to watch on TV: Root Sports, NBA League Pass
Blazers injuries: Anfernee Simons (out), Ish Wainright (out)
76ers injuries: James Harden (out), Joel Embiid (questionable)
SBN Affiliate: Liberty Ballers
The Matchup
- James Harden. As of this writing it is unknown if Harden will play or even be on the bench for this game. After skipping practice for the better part of a week leading up to the 76ers regular season opener, Harden showed up at Philadelphia’s practice facility apparently intending to travel with the team to their first game. Harden was told to stay in Philly for “fitness testing.” That may have been a convenient solution for what to do about James Harden, but it was temporary. The game against the Blazers is the 76ers home opener and it gives the team no convenient out. Will Philadelphia risk the wrath of NBA and keep him away from the rest of the team? Sit him on the bench without playing him? We’ll update this space when we have more information.
UPDATE: Harden is now listed as out for the game due to “return to competition conditioning.” Reigning MVP center Joel Embiid has joined him on the injury report as questionable due to “rest,” so it appears the Blazers will have to deal with a lot of Tyrese Maxey.
- Tyrese Maxey. Maxey is a bucket. His 32.5-point average in his first two games is just above his 31-point season average from last season. It’s not all about points though. Without Harden on the court, Maxey is expected to not only keep his scoring up but also set the table for his teammates more. That’s a lot to ask and so far the results have been mixed. If Harden returns it might be a moot point, at least until a potential trade happens. If the 76ers find reason to keep Harden off the court then Maxey will be expected to shoulder a larger load than he’s been asked to do in past seasons. How well he meets that challenge may go a long way toward defining the ceiling for Philadelphia without Harden.
- Embiid vs. Ayton. It’s still early days for the Ayton experience with the Blazers. After a disappointing 4 points in the opener, Ayton bounced back with 14 points along with 15 rebounds against Orlando. Embiid of course is on another level, starting the season with 24 and 34 points. Embiid will surely score more points than Ayton will, but if Ayton can make Embiid work for everything he gets, outrebound him, and chip in a few points the Blazers might just keep things in range for an upset.
What Others Are Saying
As the 76ers adjust to basketball without James Harden, at least temporarily, Daniel Olinger of Liberty Ballers writes that Tyrese Maxey is starting to become more of a creator.
For three quarters last night, with Embiid never catching the ball on the short roll, and the Sixers’ offense heavily relying on unsustainably great shooting from Oubre and Tobias Harris, it didn’t look like the Maxey was up to the task. Then the Sixers almost came back and won in the fourth quarter, and along the way, both the fourth-year guard and the Philadelphia offense as a whole started to figure it out.
The 76ers “Process” hasn’t brought them a title, at least yet. Jack Maccaffery of The Delaware County Daily Times looks at the new season and the new coach for Philadelphia: Nick Nurse.
Rivers did it his way and things plateaued. Nurse will have his chance, but it won’t be easy. Already, Embiid’s name is being dragged into trade fantasies, mostly in the New York press. Harden is spreading stress. Maxey needs to take one more step to greatness. There is not much proven outside shooting. The draft didn’t help.
John Hollinger of The Athletic [subscription required] writes that the only opinion that matters about the Harden saga and the direction of the 76ers belongs to Joel Embiid.
Of course, Embiid’s opinion doesn’t come etched in stone with an infinite time horizon. An 0-1 start isn’t going to change his mind about his future in Philly; a 20-21 start might. Yes, right now, everyone is tracking the Harden domino and where it ultimately leads — the Clippers, in Harden’s hopes, although they don’t exactly seem overcome with urgency to acquire him — but don’t lose sight of the bigger picture. The underlying, existential question in Philadelphia is whether the team can be good enough in Harden’s absence to keep Embiid from launching a trade demand of his own.
Denial of responsibility! Samachar Central is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
Ananya Das is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. Based on a keen understanding of digital culture, Sophie navigates the ever-evolving landscape of trending topics. With an insightful and engaging approach, she explores what’s buzzing across social media platforms, ensuring readers stay in the loop with the most talked-about and shareable content online.
