Pelicans' Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart Out vs. Sixers

The Philadelphia 76ers return home on Friday as they look to continue their six-game winning streak. Next up for them is a matchup against Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans. 

After dropping the first matchup earlier this season, the Sixers will be looking to split the season series. 

Similar to their recent string of opponents, the Pelicans will be shorthanded for Friday's matchup. As of the latest injury report, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart are both out. Steven Adams is also listed as doubtful. 

Ingram is battling a left ankle sprain while Hart is recovering from thumb surgery. When these teams first met, Ingram finished as the Pelicans' second-leading scorer with 17 points. 

Being without Ingram is a huge blow for the Pelicans as they try and work their way into the play-in tournament. The former All-Star has been New Orleans' second-best player next to Zion this season. 

In 61 games, Ingram is putting up similar numbers to his All-Star season. He is scoring 23.8 PPG to go with 4.9 RPG and a career-high 4.9 APG. 

With Ingram out of the lineup, it allows the Sixers to focus more on Zion, who had a career performance in the first matchup a few weeks prior. Containing him is going to be a key point of emphasis for the Sixers' defense. 

The other name to watch is Steven Adams. If he is not able to go on Friday, the Pelicans will lose their anchor around the rim. 

New Orleans could potentially be without two of their starters, putting them at a major disadvantage. With that being said, the Sixers can not overlook this depleted team as they still look to lock up the top seed in the conference. 

Kevin McCormick covers the Philadelphia 76ers for South Jersey's 97.3 ESPN and Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @KevinMcCNBA.