By Tim Sullivan

The Philadelphia 76ers are finishing up a three-game road trip out west with a visit to the Utah Jazz on Saturday night.

After getting trashed by the Nuggets to open the trip, the Sixers’ secondary squad had one of its best wins of the season over the Kings, 139-118, on Thursday night. The win should give the players some confidence going into Salt Lake City, as they await the return of their biggest stars. The Jazz are coming off a beating they handed the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night and will be looking to replicate that performance against an undermanned Sixers squad. 

Sixers game information

Who: Philadelphia 76ers (38-32) at Utah Jazz (21-49)

When: 9:30 p.m. EST

Where: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, UT. 

Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBA League Pass

Latest on the Sixers

The Sixers are still awaiting the return of Joel Embiid, who was expected to play at some point during their road trip but is listed as “out” again. Along with Paul George, Tyrese Maxey, and Kelly Oubre, the Sixers remain short-handed against a Utah Jazz team that seems ready for the offseason. 

For the Sixers ‘B squad, the trio of VJ Edgecombe, Justin Edwards, and Quentin Grimes has started to find a rhythm together, which will be beneficial to the team if they can manage to stay high enough in the standings to reach the playoffs. They have enough room to make at least the final spot in the play-in portion, and with enough bad teams on the upcoming schedule, the team could climb a bit, as they’re just a game and a half out of fifth place. 

Edwards and Edgecombe combined for 70 points against the Kings and will look to continue their stellar play against a Jazz team that gives up more points than any team in the league. Both players are active on both sides of the ball, can shoot well, and will look to terrorize an undermanned Jazz team. 

Latest on the Jazz

The Jazz are missing seven of their top eight scorers on the season, leaving the bulk of the work to be handled by rookie Ace Bailey. Bailey had the best game of his career in the blowout of the Bucks on Thursday night, scoring 33 points to go along with nine rebounds. While the absence of so many players has taken its toll on the Jazz, Bailey has been on a great run lately, averaging 18.8 points over the team’s last 10 games and shooting 42.5% on three-point attempts. 

While the Jazz have shut down the majority of the team’s top players, they’ve left the games to Bailey, along with players like Cody Williams and Elijah Harkless, to carry the weight for the time being and more than likely through the end of the season. With Bailey and Williams both being high draft picks, and the Jazz not really holding a ton of future draft picks, the two will be counted on to lead the team in the future, and can use the time they’re getting now to improve, creating an outlook for the future that may not be as bleak as some fans may think. 

What to watch for tonight

The Sixers just happen to have run into teams, the Kings and Jazz, that are two of the worst defensive teams in the league, and while the Sixers are missing their best players, the timing couldn’t be better for a team that’s still battling for playoff position and waiting for their stars’ returns. 

Based on what the team showed on Thursday against the Kings, it’s not too far-fetched to imagine the same scenario playing out in Salt Lake City tonight. Edgecombe and Edwards will use their athleticism and defense to clog passing lanes and disrupt the Jazz’s flow, looking for turnovers and fast breaks, while setting up good, open looks on three-pointers as the whole team fires away. 

Edgecombe is averaging 18.7 points, six rebounds, and five assists to go along with 1.2 steals over his last six games since returning from a back injury, while Edwards has averaged 19 points, four rebounds, and 3.2 assists to go along with 2.4 steals over his last five games since being inserted into the starting lineup. The duo will be at it again, opening up the floor for Quentin Grimes, who continues to look for a quality long-distance shooting stroke but is playing much better of late. 

Prediction

Sixers 123 – Jazz 108