Philadelphia 76ers vs. Houston Rockets Preview

The Philadelphia 76ers fly south to wrap up their three-game road trip with a game against the Houston Rockets.

The Philadelphia 76ers fly south to wrap up their three-game road trip with a game against the Houston Rockets.

The Sixers come into Monday's match off of a close battle with the Memphis Grizzlies, which saw them lose 117-109, making it their second loss in a row.

Friday's match saw Joel Embiid bounce back off of his off night against the Cleveland Cavaliers, as The Process scored 35 points on a respectable 50 percent from the field while also grabbing 11 rebounds and eight assists.

Tobias Harris also found his stroke from three, sinking five shots from downtown, scoring up to 21 points while also grabbing 11 rebounds.

For Monday's match, Doc Rivers could potentially have a few injuries to manage as James Harden has been upgraded to questionable to play against his former team, as well as Georges Niang, who could potentially miss his first game of the season.

On the other side of the tape sits the Houston Rockets, who have been struggling as of late, dropping three of their last four games, with their most recent loss coming against the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors.

The 101-120 loss on Saturday night saw Kevin Porter Jr. lead the Rockets in scoring with 20 points, which paled in comparison to Andrew Wiggins and Steph Curry, who combined for 66 points.

Rockets' head coach Stephen Silas will only have one injury to mull over for Monday's match,333 as Jae'Sean Tate will sit the match out with an ankle injury.

Players to Watch

Sixers: James Harden

James Harden finds himself as the player to watch on the off chance that The Beard will make his return from his month-long absence dealing with a right foot tendon strain. Going into his injury, Harden was averaging a respectable 22 points per game on 44-percent shooting, with 10 assists and seven rebounds. The time for Harden's campaign for a spot in the All-Star festivities could start against his former team.

Rockets: Kevin Porter Jr.

Kevin Porter Jr. finds himself as the player to watch for the Rockets as he has been a tear as of late, averaging 17 points on 42 percent shooting across his last five games. Historically though, Porter Jr. has struggled against Philadelphia, only averaging seven points with three assists and four rebounds.

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

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