Philadelphia 76ers vs. Los Angeles Clippers Pick & Prediction NOVEMBER 6th 2024

Preview and Prediction

The Philadelphia 76ers are once again in a state of anticipation as they await the return of their star center, Joel Embiid. Initially, it was believed that he would make his debut against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday in Inglewood, California.

However, the 76ers, who have struggled with a 1-5 record without their former MVP, suffered a 118-116 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Monday. Despite strong performances from Tyrese Maxey and Guerschon Yabusele off the bench, Philadelphia was unable to secure a victory. This marked their third consecutive loss as they began a three-game trip in the Western Conference.

According to reports, Embiid was being considered for a return to the court against the Clippers after dealing with a lingering knee injury. However, he will now have to serve a three-game suspension, which was handed down by the NBA on Tuesday following an altercation with a newspaper columnist. The columnist had written an article that referenced Embiid's son and late brother.

If the Sixers do decide to make Embiid available for Wednesday's game, his suspension will begin, with a potential return date of November 12th against the New York Knicks.

Meanwhile, Paul George made his debut for the 76ers on Monday, scoring 15 points in 32 minutes. However, he missed a game-tying shot in the final seconds. George, who is from the Los Angeles area, will now face his former team, the Clippers, after spending five seasons with them. He averaged 23.0 points in 263 regular-season games with the Clippers.

"I was able to go out there and compete, free of any thoughts of my body not holding up," George said after Monday's game. "I felt completely fine. That was a positive in it. But all around, it was definitely a rusty game."

The Clippers are no strangers to missing star players. Not only did George leave in the offseason, but Kawhi Leonard has also been sidelined with a chronic knee issue and is currently out indefinitely.

After losing their first three home games, the Clippers finally secured a win in their new $2 billion arena, the Intuit Dome, on Monday. They rallied from a 26-point deficit to defeat the San Antonio Spurs 113-104.

"I thought this (place) was cursed at first," said Clippers veteran James Harden after the game.

Los Angeles was led by Norman Powell, who finished with 23 points, and Amir Coffey, who added 21 points. Harden also contributed with 17 points and eight assists. Head coach Tyronn Lue expressed his satisfaction with the team's performance, stating, "It was good for us to get this monkey off our back, you know, to complete a game, to play well the last three quarters, and I'm just happy for our guys."

On Tuesday, Harden made three more 3-pointers, bringing his career total to 2,958. He is now just 15 away from tying Ray Allen for second place on the all-time list. Stephen Curry currently holds the top spot with 3,762 3-pointers.

PREDICTION

Philadelphia 76ers

106

108

Los Angeles Clippers

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