On Thursday night, the Brooklyn Nets are set to host the Philadelphia 76ers for their second NBA preseason game of the year.
The Nets started their preseason with a bang, destroying the Charlotte Hornets with a score of 124-90.
It was the debut of Julius Randle. He clocked in for 18 minutes. During that time, the star forward shot 4-7 from the field and hit on 2-3 shots from deep.
Randle totaled 13 points, two rebounds, three assists, and one steal in his first set of action with Brooklyn.
Michael Porter Jr. led the way for the team in scoring, as he checked in for 17 minutes. Porter drained 6-of-9 shots from the field and went 4-of-6 from three to score 16 points.
The veteran sharpshooter added five rebounds, two assists, and one steal to his stat line before calling it a night.
After taking down the Hornets, the Nets are set to face a playoff-caliber team in the Sixers, who might bring more hype to a preseason game than usual.
Nets Could Be First To Face LeBron James On 76ers
When the Philadelphia 76ers concluded their final practice before the Thursday night game in Brooklyn, the head coach Nick Nurse addressed reporters and peeled back the curtain on what their plan might be.
According to NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Noah Levick, Nurse stated that they should be able to get “the majority” of their players on the floor against the Nets.
While Nurse didn’t specify the players who will play, it’s safe to believe that James could be in the mix with the Sixers for the first time since joining Philadelphia.
The 41-year-old forward missed all of training camp with the Los Angeles Lakers last season due to a setback. This year, LeBron isn’t experiencing any injury concerns that have taken him off the court throughout the first week of training camp.
When the Sixers held a scrimmage last Saturday, James was a part of the action. On Monday, the Sixers hosted the New York Knicks for their preseason opener, and James was among three starters who sat out. Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey were the other two.
James’ status remains unknown, but he hasn’t been ruled out. That means the Nets could be the first to face the entire new-look starting five from Philly.