76ers vs. Pelicans: Battle to End Losing Streaks
The Philadelphia 76ers have lost their last four games and ten of their last 12 games and look to snap the four-game skid against the New Orleans Pelicans, who are in the midst of a losing streak themselves. New Orleans has lost its last two games and nine of its last 11. Both franchises are looking to snap their respective skids and find their way back into the winning column. This will be the final game of a six-game road trip for the 76ers in which the team has lost four of five games so far through that stretch. Both squads are towards the bottom of the NBA standings, with the Sixers currently sitting at 23-48 on the season, good for the fifth-worst record in the league, and the Pelicans sitting at 19-53, good for the fourth-worst record in the NBA. Tonight’s matchup will tip off at 8:00 pm ET at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.
Both the Pelicans and 76ers are deep into tanking the season away, hoping to earn a high pick in the 2025 NBA Draft lottery with a loaded draft class coming in. New Orleans owns its 2025 first-round pick, but Philadelphia only keeps their pick if it’s top six protected. The Sixers traded the pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder back in 2020 in a deal centered around Philadelphia getting Danny Green in exchange for Al Horford. As the Sixers keep losing, their chances to keep their first-round pick increase. As of now, Philadelphia has a 27.9% chance to earn the seventh overall pick in this summer’s draft and a 20.1% chance to earn the sixth pick. Some networks have deemed a new nickname for the 76ers, the “Top-Six Sixers,” as that’s exactly what Philly needs to keep the rights of their pick and select one of the top draft prospects this summer.
Star guard Tyrese Maxey has not played since March 4th for the 76ers, and his status remains “day-to-day.” Maxey traveled with the team and remained with it during this road trip and has participated in workouts, so it’s likely he’ll return soon and potentially tonight. Adem Bona, Kelly Oubre Jr., Lonnie Walker IV, Andre Drummond, and Kyle Lowry are all out tonight for Philadelphia. Quentin Grimes continues to look like one of the best guards in the NBA as of late, now averaging 28.0 points and five assists on 51.7% shooting from the floor and 39.8% shooting from three-point range through the month of March. The Sixers will look for him to come up big as the franchise looks to get another win on the board tonight against another club at the bottom of the NBA standings.
