Three Things to Watch For in Nets vs. 76ers

Three things to keep an eye on as Brooklyn takes on Philadelphia.

Nov 17, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) shoots the ball against the LA Clippers during the first quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

On Friday evening, the Brooklyn Nets are set to take on an Eastern Conference opponent in the Philadelphia 76ers, hoping to get back into the win column.

The Nets have taken baby steps toward better play in the last week under head coach Jordi Fernandez, but are still far away from truly being competitive. Instead, the team is aiming for a top pick at the 2026 NBA Draft, which could galvanize the team's rebuild. Brooklyn presently owns the fourth-best draft odds.

Before that, Brooklyn is looking to continue on its 2025-26 regular season, even if that improvement doesn't necessarily show up in the win column.

Here are three things to watch for in Brooklyn vs. Philadelphia:

The Injury Report

While Friday’s game is an NBA Cup bout, both teams are set to see heavy losses to the injury report.

On Brooklyn’s side, they’ll be without their top two scorers in Michael Porter Jr. — who’s out with lower back tightness — as well as Cam Thomas as he continues to work himself back from a hamstring injury.

The Nets will also be without rookies in Nolan Traore, Danny Wolf and Ben Saraf.

Philadelphia sits in a similar position, slated to miss former MVP Joel Embiid, standout rookie VJ Edgecombe, forward Kelly Oubre Jr., and potentially forward Paul George, who is listed as questionable.

The Slidin’ Sixers

After starting off 5-1 on the season, Philadelphia has since gone 5-8, losing three of the last four games all to Eastern Conference foes.

Former All-Star Paul George had returned to the lineup, though they’ve seen some inconsistency in general across the roster. They’ve dipped to No. 14 in offensive rating and scarier No. 21 in defensive, all while rookie VJ Edgecombe has cooled off.

Brooklyn isn’t quite the steep competition that the Raptors, Heat and Magic were, but could still sneak out a win if Philadelphia can’t find a rhythm.

Can Brooklyn Find Their First Home Win?

The Nets have played better in recent weeks, winning against both Washington and Boston, and playing competitive games against Toronto and New York.

Despite that, they still haven’t won at Barclays Center, with all three wins on the season coming on the road.

Monday’s home bout against Charlotte could be a good chance to finally earn a win in front of the home crowd, but the Sixers’ bout could too.

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The Nets and 76ers tip off at 6:30 p.m.