Philadelphia got off on the right foot heading into the February 11th 76ers at Trail Blazers matchup. The Sixers kicked off a four game West Coast road trip with a 119-111 win at Sacramento on Tuesday as -4.5 favorites. That pushed Philly’s road record to 7-5.
This meeting has a little bit of a revenge angle for the Sixers as they were dominated 121-105 by Portland last Thursday night. One big difference is that Philadelphia was on the back-to-back in that meeting, although they still had Joel Embiid in the lineup. Portland won that game without Damian Lillard, but the Trail Blazers are still big +5.5 home underdogs in the rematch.
Embiid Set to Dominate Again?
Philadelphia doesn’t have any back-to-back games scheduled on this current road swing, so barring any unforeseen ailments they should be near full strength, except for backup guard Shake Milton who is doubtful Thursday with an ankle injury.
This also means Embiid will be in the lineup for the February 11th 76ers at Trail Blazers pick. Despite Philadelphia losing in that first meeting with Portland, the Blazers had no answer for Embiid who had 37 points a night after dropping 34 in 33 minutes vs. the Hornets. Ben Simmons did rest on the back-to-back vs. Portland last week, and he’ll be in the lineup Thursday.
Philly looked good on Tuesday, beating Sacramento 119-111 to snap a 4-game Kings win streak. Embiid had 25 points and 17 rebounds while Tobias Harris chipped in 22 points. Portland also just gave up 27&15 to Orlando’s Nikola Vucevic on Tuesday, so they’ve had some real struggles defending the post.
Portland Gets Lillard Back for the Rematch
Even though the Sixers were playing on 0 days rest in last week’s matchup, Portland’s 16 point win was still impressive considering they were playing without Damian Lillard. Carmelo Anthony and Gary Trent both went for 20+ to secure that crucial road win.
Lillard is back for Thursday’s tilt however, and he’s on a roll averaging 32 ppg the last two. Anthony has come alive as well, scoring 20+ in two of three games in addition to the 20+ vs. Philadelphia. Enes Kanter has also grabbed double digit rebounds in eight straight, which is important against the Sixers’ #5 rebounding squad.
The Sixers have found their scoring stroke, tallying 118+ in five of the last six. Philadelphia is up to running the 6th highest pace in the league, so the points should continue against a Trail Blazers team that has the 3rd worst defense in the league.
Free February 11th Sixers at Trail Blazers Pick
Portland’s win over Philly their previous matchup was impressive, but it also came with the Sixers on 0 days rest. The Trail Blazers other two wins over the last 10 days came against the shorthanded and/or bad Wizards and Magic. The Trail Blazers also fell 110-99 to New York over that stretch.
What all this means is that it looks like Portland is playing good, but perhaps not really. The Sixers would have a 7-game win streak going if not for the Trail Blazers, and it’s time for retribution.
Sixers 119 – Trail Blazers 111
Free Pick: Philadelphia -5.5
