76ers vs. Trail Blazers: Game Odds, Players to Watch Friday

On Friday night, the Philadelphia 76ers return home from a five-game road trip, as they welcome the Portland Trail Blazers to the Wells Fargo Center.

In their last time out, the Sixers breezed past the Minnesota Timberwolves, 117-94, thanks largely to an impressive display from Joel Embiid, who scored 39 points on 59 percent shooting while grabbing seven rebounds for his side.

Tyrese Maxey, who has recently returned to Philadelphia's starting lineup, put up 27 points while dishing out five assists to his teammates.

The Sixers pulled off the defeat despite the absence of James Harden, who sat out of the match due to soreness in his left foot. Yet, it doesn't appear to be bothering him as he is clear of Philadelphia's injury report.

On the other side of the ticket sits the Portland Trail Blazers, who come into Friday off of a tough loss to the Boston Celtics. Despite Damian Lillard dropping 27 points, it wasn't enough to beat out the all-around offensive game played by the Celtics, with six of their players ending the game with double-digit scoring.

Chauncey Billups only had to plan around the potential absence of Anfernee Simons, who was listed as questionable with a sprained right ankle. However, he's cleared for action on Friday night.

Game Odds

Spread: Sixers: -110

Moneyline: PHI: -350, POR: +275

Total O/U: 233.5

*All Odds Are Provided by SI Sportsbook

Players To Watch:

Sixers: Tyrese Maxey

The third-year guard finds himself as the payer to watch due to his recent hot streak since he rejoined the Sixers' starting lineup, averaging 27 points on 60 percent shooting from the field, showing that he hasn't lost any of the flashiness that made his start to the season so impressive.

Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard

Philadelphia fans should watch out for Damian Lillard as the veteran is still showing signs of brilliance despite going into the back nine of his career.

So far this season, Lillard is averaging 32 points per game, while shooting 38 percent from beyond the arc. But with the Sixers' holding their opponents to the sixth-lowest three-point percentage in the league, Lillard's accuracy should be something to look out for on Friday night.

Declan Harris contributes to All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him on Twitter: @DecIanH.

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