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76ers vs. Kings: Can the Shorthanded Sixers Break Their Losing Streak?

The 76ers are set to take on the Kings Thursday night. Will the shorthanded Sixers be able to pick up their first road win in over a month?
Justin Grasso|
76ers vs. Kings: Can the Shorthanded Sixers Break Their Losing Streak?
76ers vs. Kings: Can the Shorthanded Sixers Break Their Losing Streak?

Nobody thought for a second that the Philadelphia 76ers had an easy road trip coming up when they took a flight to California last Saturday. The Sixers began their trip with two matchups against two of the top teams in the Western Conference as they faced the Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Shockingly, a shorthanded Sixers team put up a good fight in the first half of their showdown with the Clippers. Unfortunately, a third-quarter collapse allowed L.A. to overshine what became the 'Shake Milton Game' for NBA fans.

The following game, the Sixers faced the best in the West as they dealt with LeBron James and Anthony Davis of the Lakers. Once again, the Sixers put up a good fight in the first half, but another third-quarter walloping led to back to back losses at the Staples Center.

Finally, the Sixers are finished with their Los Angeles tour. Now, they are in Sacramento for a Thursday night matchup with the Sacramento Kings. While Sactown isn't nearly as talented as the Clippers or the Lakers, the Kings are still a tough team to beat for the Sixers. And lately, the Kings have been playing solid basketball as they've won four of their last five matchups on their schedule.

It's clear at this point the Sixers aren't nearly as good without Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons running the show. Mix that in with the fact that their starting shooting guard Josh Richardson is out again too, and the 76ers are equal to a middle of the road squad like the tenth place Sacramento Kings.

For Thursday's game, the Kings are not-so-shockingly favored over the Sixers. As Philly struggles to master their rotations with three starters out, their issues have been clearly exposed in the second half of their last couple of games.

While the chances of the Sixers pulling off a win on Thursday are much higher than they were when they started this road trip, it's still far from a lock. Don't be shocked to see the nine-game road losing streak increase to ten on Thursday as the Sixers continue to struggle away from Philly.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia

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