The Philadelphia 76ers begin a six-game home swing when they go head to head with the Los Angeles Lakers at the Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday night.
While the Lakers set out in search of a fifth win on the trot for the first time this year, they have lost each of their last six visits to Philadelphia and will be looking to end this dry spell.
Match preview
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Philadelphia 76ers secured back-to-back victories for the first time since the turn of the year as they powered past the Chicago Bulls 109-97 at the United Center on Saturday night.
It was a back-and-forth affair in Illinois, with 14 lead changes between the two teams, but a 29-14 run from the 76ers in the third quarter saw the Bulls let go of the rope as they fell to a seventh defeat in eight games within a two-week span.
In the absence of floor general Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey helped Philadelphia power through as he knocked down 31 points on 52% shooting from the field while Kelly Oubre dropped 22 points and 12 rebounds to record his seventh double-double of the campaign.
This came a little over 24 hours after Paul George and Maxey combined for 59 points to help Nick Nurse's men brush aside the Cleveland Cavaliers 132-129 at the Wells Fargo Center and snap their run of seven consecutive defeats.
The Philadelphia 76ers have now improved to a 17-27 record from their 44 matches to sit 11th in the Eastern Conference standings, three wins behind the Bulls in the final Play-In qualifying spot, albeit with three games in hand.
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The Los Angeles Lakers, on the other hand, continue to climb the Western Conference power rankings as they rolled past the Hornets 112-107 at the Spectrum Center on Monday night.
Off the back of a 36-point shooting display in the win over the Golden State Warriors 24 hours earlier, Anthony Davies turned in another dominant individual display as he dropped a 42-point 23-rebound double-double while LeBron James tallied 22 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
The Los Angeles Lakers have now won four back-to-back games, brushing aside the Washington Wizards, Boston Celtics, the Warriors and Hornets while averaging 114.5 points across the four matches since their 116-102 defeat against rivals Los Angeles Clippers on January 20.
J.J Redick's men, who are now 6-1 since suffering three straight defeats between January 6 and January 14, have improved to a 26-18 record to sit fifth in the Western Conference standings, just behind the Denver Nuggets in fourth place.
While the Lakers will be looking to continue from where they left off against the Hornets and make it five straight wins for the first time since November, they have lost each of their last six visits to the Wells Fargo Center since a close 107-104 victory in December 2017.
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Team News
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Philadelphia 76ers will have to cope without several heavy hitters who are currently dealing with injuries, including Embiid, who has missed each of the last 11 matches through a knee problem.
Veteran forward George was forced off in the second quarter due to a left finger injury after scoring nine points in 13 minutes and the 34-year-old has been ruled out of Wednesday's clash.
While Jared McCain has been sidelined for the season through a knee injury Martin KJ (foot), Guerschon Yabusele (knee), Caleb Martin (hip) and Andre Drummond (toe) continue their spells on the sidelines and are out of contention for the 76ers.
As for the Los Angeles Lakers, Bronny James has been recalled from the G League's South Bay Lakers and the 20-year-old rookie is expected to be involved at the Wells Fargo Center.
On the injury front, Rui Hachimura (calf), Gabe Vincent (knee) and Christian Wood Christian (knee) have been ruled out of Tuesday's clash while is currently recuperating from a hamstring problem.
Philadelphia 76ers possible starting 5:
Maxey, Gordon, Bona, Yabusele, Oubre
Los Angeles Lakers possible starting 5:
Christie, Reaves, Davies, Finney-Smith, James
We say: The Los Angeles Lakers to win by 5+ points.
While the 76ers appear to have turned a corner of late, they are in for a tough challenge against the Lakers, who have won their last four matches. Philadelphia have lost three of their most recent four home games ad we predict that Redick's men will end their Wells Fargo Center hoodoo here.
Joshua Ojele
