The 76ers have been playing good defense surrendering fewer than 100 points per game during their last three games. They've been last in terms of tempo during their past 10 games.

There's a chance Philadelphia could be without star center Joel Embiid, too. He's questionable with an ankle injury. He leads the 76ers in scoring at 23.7 points a game.

The Pelicans are down DeMarcus Cousins and haven't played since Monday because their Wednesday game against the Pacers was postponed due to a leaky roof. So there could be a rust factor. The extra time also enabled the Pelcians and their new addition, Nikola Mirotic, to work on defense and game plan for this matchup.