Two Ninth Place Teams Face Off In a Battle of a Game That Will Be Played

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The Philadelphia 76ers (27-42) are currently sitting at 9th place in the Eastern Conference while their opponent tonight, the Utah Jazz (34-36), are 9th in the Western Conference. The Jazz actually share the ninth spot and are just two games behind the Lakers for the final playoff berth in the West. That said, they haven't been playing real well as of late, having lost four in a row at the hands of the Knicks, Rockets, Spurs, and Mavs.

The Sixers on the other hand have been surprising over their last few contests. From AU's post this am:

The reasons for the Sixers' surprisingly improved proved play of
late—four wins in their last seven games, including victories over the
playoff-bound Nets and Pacers and extremely close losses to the
NBA-hottest Heat and Nuggets—are many. The team's frontcourt has been
playing dramatically better: Spencer Hawes has averaged a 16/10 on 56%
shooting over the stretch, and Thaddeus Young, finally healthy again
after missing a couple weeks with a hamstring strain, has matched with a
17/7 on 55% shooting. Dorell Wright has also rediscovered his Golden
State shooting stroke, averaging 12 a game and shooting 19 of 38 from
deep, and with the exception of a dismal two-point performance in Los
Angeles, Jrue Holiday has been Jrue Holiday, averaging about 17 points
and nine assists, shooting 48% from deep and even keeping his turnover
average to under three a game.

Read more about Damien Wilkins' surprising play over the past month here.

9:00 PM tip from the EnergySolutions Arena. I'm not promising I'll be awake when this one ends.

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