Philadelphia 76ers vs Golden State Warriors: Injury Updates, Predicted Lineups and Starting 5s - March 23, 2021 | NBA Season 2020-21
NBA title hopefuls Philadelphia 76ers have seen multiple injuries to key players in recent weeks and are up against the Golden State Warriors next. The Philadelphia 76ers have relied on the two-way dominance of Joel Embiid, who is currently one of the frontrunners for both the NBA MVP and the Defensive Player of the Year award.
Tobias Harris has been the team’s second-most prolific scorer while Ben Simmons has also been impressive despite missing a number of games since the All-Star break. On the other hand, the Golden State Warriors have missed their talisman Stephen Curry in recent games and lost the second of their double-header against the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Golden State Warriors have a number of injury issues and have seen some top performances from Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins. The latter is producing 17.8 points per game while the former has become a triple-double machine in recent weeks.
Philadelphia 76ers vs Golden State Warriors Injury Update
Philadelphia 76ers
In a match where the two teams might as well be missing their best players, the Philadelphia 76ers are missing Joel Embiid. He has not featured since the Sixers' victory over the Washington Wizards last week, and will not be available for a few more weeks to come.
In his absence, the likes of Tobias Harris, Ben Simmons and Shake Milton are expected to take up extra offensive responsibility again. Shake Milton has looked lethal off the bench in recent games and has been instrumental to the Philadelphia 76ers. Finally, Seth Curry will also be sitting out for the matchup against his brother’s team.
Golden State Warriors
Eric Paschall and James Wiseman have both been ruled out due to health and safety protocols. Stephen Curry, who is set to miss another match, was included on the doubtful list but has been confirmed to be sidelined. The Golden State Warriors saw Andrew Wiggins produce 60 points over the double-header against the Memphis Grizzlies, and will expect him to deliver again.
Jordan Poole impressed in the first match and should get the nod ahead of Alen Smailagic to start at center in place of James Wiseman. The Golden State Warriors have been impressive on the defensive end and might need to be at their best against a dangerous Philadelphia 76ers’ lineup.
Philadelphia 76ers vs Golden State Warriors Predicted lineups
Philadelphia 76ers
Joel Embiid’s absence has meant starts for Tony Bradley, who has been helped out by Dwight Howard in the recent games in which the big man has sat out. Seth Curry will sit again, which means Furkan Korkmaz should get another rare start against the Golden State Warriors.
Tobias Harris and Shake Milton have been their most prolific scorers in Embiid’s absence with the latter regularly chipping in with important buckets in recent matches. The Philadelphia 76ers will go into this game as the clear favorites to win.
Golden State Warriors
Stephen Curry will miss another game, which is a huge loss for the Warriors considering his form this season. The Golden State Warriors are currently 9th in the Western Conference and have a number of players missing for this matchup. Draymond Green has been the defensive lynchpin, although the Golden State Warriors might struggle offensively due to the number of players that they are missing.
Philadelphia 76ers vs Golden State Warriors Predicted Starting 5s
Philadelphia 76ers
G Ben Simmons, G Furkan Korkmaz, F Danny Green, F Tobias Harris, C Tony Bradley
Golden State Warriors
G Jordan Poole, G Andrew Wiggins, F Kent Bazemore, F Juan Toscano-Anderson, C Draymond Green