Both teams were on winning streaks, rising in their respective conferences, and had a mounting look of “playoff opponent nobody wants to face.” While the Sixers (18-8) and Clippers (15-8) are still division leaders, a tad bit of the luster may have worn off.

Both teams were on winning streaks, rising in their respective conferences, and had a mounting look of “playoff opponent nobody wants to face.” While the Sixers (18-8) and Clippers (15-8) are still division leaders, a tad bit of the luster may have worn off.

Paul Foye Butler Griffin Jordan PG SG SF PF C Holiday Meeks Iguodala Brand Vucevic PG SG SF PF C

Clippers point guard Chris Paul called it “one of the team’s worst showings.” And Del Negro bemoaned a lack of energy and focus that was evident throughout most of the first three quarters.

Despite grabbing an early nine-point lead, the offensive execution seemed flat; several plays at the rim weren’t converted; possessions evaporated the shot clock, ending in long jumpers; and they finished with just two fast break points, an alley-oop to Blake Griffin in the fourth quarter.

The Clippers managed to tie the game at 89 in the final two minutes and were close to escaping Cleveland with a win that some may have said they didn’t earn.

Yet, the Clippers have shown a penchant for bouncing back all season. They went 3-2 during a tough stretch without Paul, won four consecutive road games before Wednesday, and have not lost consecutive games since Dec. 30.

Reggie revisits Philly Clippers visit 76ers, and Reggie Evans looks back at his playoff years in Philly KMart fitting in Kenyon Martin made his Clippers debut in Cleveland, talks to LACtv about how he's fitting in

By all accounts, the Sixers are a legitimate threat in the East. Through 26 games, they’re second in the NBA in point differential (+9.27) and hold opponents to 42% shooting, tied for third in the league.

First-time All-Star Andre Iguodala has been a brilliant all-around playmaker, averaging 13.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, a team-high 5.2 assists, and 1.77 steals. And even with big men Spencer Hawes (Achilles) and Elton Brand (thumb) nicked up, Philadelphia is deep and well-coached. Hawes sat out Wednesday, while Brand returned with a heavily wrapped right thumb.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Here are three things to watch in Friday’s matchup, inspired by a few of the “Best Pop Duo/Group Performance” nominations at the Grammys.

1. 1. Body and Soul – Amy Winehouse & Tony Bennett. In a game featuring two of the top 10 teams, the margin for error will in all likelihood be paper thin. One factor should be on the glass, which takes a ton of body and soul. It will start with Griffin, fourth in the league with 15 double-doubles, and the former Clipper Brand. For all of Griffin’s athleticism and ability rebounding the ball, Brand can be bothersome using leverage and his massive hands to collect the ball. In last season’s December 15 game, Griffin pulled down 18 rebounds to match his career high.

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   Overall, Philadelphia is eighth in rebounding, while the Clippers are 25th. However, they are only separated by 2.3 boards per game and Griffin (11.0) and DeAndre Jordan (8.8) both grab more rebounds than Hawes, who leads the Sixers with 8.3 per game.

   If Hawes is out, Griffin may have a tremendous advantage at the rim. He makes 5.5 shots per game (No. 1 in the league) in the immediate basket area and the Sixers, even with Hawes, are 22nd in shot blocking.

2. 2. Moves Like Jagger – Maroon 5 & Christina Aguilera. Until Wednesday the Clippers were undefeated when Paul scored 16 or more points, giving merit to all of those demanding that the four-time All-Star move like Jagger on the offensive end. However, it doesn’t seem that the scoring itself is the real explanation. It’s just as much about the threat of Paul scoring. He’s won six of his 10 career games against Philadelphia and has annihilated youngster Jrue Holiday. In 50 minutes last season with Paul and Holiday on the court together, the Clippers superstar took 14.4 shots (three above his average), scored 24.5 points, shot 55% from the field and 50% from 3-point range. In particular, Paul victimized Holiday in the midrange area, going 5-for-7.

   It will be interesting to see how Holiday handles Paul this time around. In the early stages of this season, he’s shown a great deal of improvement, particularly shooting from distance and running the offense. Along with Iguodala, Holiday is also a cog in Philadelphia’s perimeter defense, using his long arms in passing lanes to nab 1.69 steals per game.

3. Who will be the top scorer for the Clippers tonight? Griffin Paul Butler Foye Jordan Williams Who will be the top scorer for the Clippers tonight? View Results

   3. Pumped Up Kicks – Foster the People. One of the deciding factors will likely be which bench can pump up the scoring for their particular team. It will start with the Williams’ (Mo for the Clippers and Lou for the Sixers). Mo Williams has been the top reserve for L.A., by a landslide. That’s both a good and bad thing. It means Mo Williams has been playing on par with the best sixth men in the league (although he’s struggled from the field in the last two games, going 5-for-22), but it also means he’s not getting much help. That may be aided with the addition of Kenyon Martin, who made his debut on Wednesday with six points and four rebounds in 20 minutes.

   Williams, Martin, and someone like Ryan Gomes will be vital on Friday. Lou Williams provides instant offense off the Sixers bench, leading the team in scoring at 15.3 points per game in just 25.5 minutes. According to ESPN’s John Hollinger, Lou Williams has a Player Efficiency Rating (PER) of 21.84, better than eight rating points above the league average (and slightly behind Griffin’s 22.14). Philadelphia’s bench is also buoyed by versatile forward Thaddeus Young, whose 12.5 points per game is fourth on the team. Gomes is the most likely candidate to matchup with Young when Del Negro goes to his bench. However, it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that Martin may get a few cracks at the lefty shooting big man.

NOTES

The Clippers have a few connections to the City of Brotherly Love. Reggie Evans played two seasons with the Sixers, Randy Foye attended Villanova University, and assistant coach Marc Iavaroni played on the 1983 Sixers title team. Clippers assistant coach Dean Demopoulos is a Philly native and also coached at Temple University… Clippers guard Randy Foye averages 14.8 points per game as a starter and scored 15 points against Cleveland… Griffin is the only player in the league averaging at least 21 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists… He is also 15-of-17 from the free throw line in two games since altering his free throw routine to include three dribbles prior to shooting… Caron Butler scored 21 points on Wednesday. The Clippers are 6-2 when Butler has at least 17… Holiday played one season at UCLA and is a native of Chatsworth, CA.