At least we’re halfway there: the shorthanded Sixers take on the Nuggets and pass the midway point of the season

The Philadelphia 76ers’ slow, painful march through the 2024-25 campaign has mercifully passed the midway point, but another challenge awaits with the team visiting the Denver Nuggets for their 42nd contest of the year on Tuesday night.

The Sixers’ lineup is thin due to injuries, but what else is new. Joel Embiid, Kyle Lowry, KJ Martin and Caleb Martin are all in for this one. Paul George (groin soreness), Guerschon Yabusele (right knee contusion) and Andre Drummond (toe, injury recovery) are all questionable.

If that trio is unable to go, it will be another display of Tyrese Maxey leading a lineup of mostly Delaware Blue Coats-caliber players. Maxey looked fantastic in this role on Sunday against Milwaukee Bucksand put up 37 points on 50 percent field goal shooting along with six rebounds and seven assists. Even that wasn’t enough to carry the Sixers to a 24-17 upset victory over the Bucks, however, as they fell to their sixth straight loss. At this point though, getting Maxey consistent reps to lead the team of young guys might not be the worst thing. What else are we going to get out of this season?

For Denver, Jamal Murray (calf tightness) and Peyton Watson (head contusion) are probable, while DaRon Holmes II and Vlatko Cancar are both out with long-term injuries.

The Nuggets are led by none other than Nikola Jokic. He is averaging 30.1 points, 13.2 rebounds and 9.9 assists this season, shooting 56.1% from the floor and a career-high 47.1% from long range on 4.4 attempts per game. match. On Tuesday, however, he may not be one hundred percent the player we are used to seeing. Jokic has been dealing with a right elbow sprain that has had an effect on the amount of shots he takes in the Nuggets’ last few games. Over the past four contests, the MVP candidate has shot about 10 field goals a night compared to his typical average of 21.7 attempts per game. fight that he threw up before this latest stint. Even with his recent limited capacity, however, Jokic is still scoring nearly 20 points per game. Yes, it is Jokic who is “limited”.

And Jokic has good support around him on the Nuggets. Assuming Murray is able to go, it would be far from surprising to see him top the scoring for Denver. Murray is averaging 20.1 points per game. game on 45.4% field goal shooting on the season overall, but has upped it further the last few games with Jokic nursing that elbow sprain. In the last four games, Murray is averaging 29.0 points on 57.5% shooting from the floor and 44.4% from beyond the arc on 6.8 attempts. A week ago he put up 45 points Dallas Mavericks in the form of 18-for-26 field goal shooting.

It’s no wonder why Denver has won 10 of their last 13 and is climbing the Western Conference standings, currently in fourth place. The Nuggets lead the league in field goal percentage (50.1) and assists (30.9) and are third in the league in both three-point percentage (38.3) and points per game (120.1).

Is it even necessary to say “this has the potential to be a bloodbath”?

Admittedly, writing these game previews for the Sixers will get harder as this season goes on. Everything about this team feels like it’s just getting harder – from being a fan to a writer and everything in between – because it feels like there’s little to nothing good left to take out of this campaign. Most nights, we have no idea who will even suit up for the squad with injuries that seem to plague every player on this roster, sidelining them for weeks at a time. It’s a strange feeling to simultaneously feel like this half of a season so far has taken forever, while also feeling like this season never even began for the Sixers.

It reminds me of the feeling of winter around this time of year. It feels like it’s been forever since long bright days and heat – you almost forget that summer exists. This Sixers season feels a bit like a bitter, perpetual winter that just won’t give way to spring. But enough of my analogies.

Oh, and the Sixers and Nuggets don’t even tip until 8 p.m. 10 p.m. ET.

Game details

When: Tuesday 21 January at 10 p.m. ET

Where: Ball Arena, Denver, CO

Clock: TNT

Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic

Follow: @LibertyBallers