PHI @ LAC: Maybe the 76ers will get up for a few more home games, but they are brutal on the road, where they have lost 14 in a row. The Clippers started slowly, then turned it on and this turned into a laugher. Chris Paul (19 PTS, 9 AST, 6 REB, 5 STL) owned Jrue Holiday (2 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL) who missed seven of eight shots. Blake Griffin (7 PTS, 9 REB, 6 AST) played a quiet 26 minutes and Willie Green (13 PTS, 4 REB) started at SG for Chauncey Billups (groin) who isn’t expected to miss much time. Spencer Hawes (16 PTS, 7 REB, 7 AST, 4 BLK) continues to play well, though he was on his own in that fiasco.
Thursday Previews
POR @ CHI: On a night when millions of basketball ‘fans’ will be watching players they never heard of and rooting for their NCAA bracket picks, the NBA takes a back seat, with three games that lack drama. This one is the most interesting, as Portland tries desperately to stay alive. The Bulls are still furious about the last-second basket interference call (after review) that cost them a win against the mighty Nuggets on Monday. Joakim Noah might take out his frustration on J.J. Hickson tonight. Taj Gibson (knee) is expected to return and Kirk Hinrich (foot) is a game-time decision. This is a very tough week for the Blazers, with another road game — their fourth in five nights — tomorrow, but LaMarcus Aldridge will keep trying until they are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.
PHI @ DEN: The second-hottest team in the Association, almost unbeatable at home, takes on a tired group with absolutely nothing to play for. The only question is how much mercy, if any, the Nuggets will show. They won two road games this week against much tougher opposition and are averaging more than 110 points in a 15-game win streak at the Pepsi Center. The trick in daily leagues is to figure out who will get the minutes and numbers. Ty Lawson could use some rest for a tender heel, so Andre Miller might have another big game, and with Wilson Chandler nursing a sore shoulder, Corey Brewer is a sneaky spot play. Whether Andre Iguodala takes it out on his former team is up to him; the Sixers will be defenseless.
MIN @ SAC: There is a possibility that Chase Budinger (knee) will return in a limited role after missing four months. Ricky Rubio (groin) wasn’t himself last game and may not be 100% tonight. Nikola Pekovic is not yet up to full speed, playing just 24 minutes in both his starts after an 8-game absence and Andrei Kirilenko is also being brought along slowly. Minnesota’s trainer is the team MVP. Meanwhile, those wacky Kings keep running up the score, especially at home. DeMarcus Cousins and Tyreke Evans both returned from injuries last game as they stunned the Clippers, while Marcus Thornton and Toney Douglas were hot off the bench, at the expense of Isaiah Thomas. The main question is at PF, where newcomer (and Cousins pal) Patrick Patterson is either cutting into the minutes of Jason Thompson, or not. JT left early with a cut near his eye on Tuesday; it wasn’t a benching.