The Sixers' (23-41) road trip shifts to Los Angeles for Saturday's game against the LA Clippers (39-26) at Staples Center (3:30 p.m./TCN, CSNPhilly.com and the NBC Sports app).
Let's take a closer look at the matchup:
1. Signs of life at the start
The Sixers did just about everything except walk away with the victory to open their four-game road trip in Portland on Thursday.
The Sixers trailed by double digits for stretches of the game before rallying to take the lead in the fourth quarter. Then Robert Covington committed a head-scratching foul to give the Trail Blazers free throws before redeeming himself with a game-tying putback at the buzzer.
In the end, the Sixers ran out of gas in a 114-108 overtime loss. However, for a team that lost its previous two games by a combined 44 points, the tough defeat was a step in the right direction.
"We had a few games there that were out of character," Gerald Henderson said. "This is a good team and we played well against them. In terms of how we're playing, I think we'll take some positives from it. You want to turn it into winning."
2. Saric still rolling
The main reason the Sixers were able to rally back against the Blazers was the sustained stellar play of Dario Saric.
NBA
Saric poured in a career-high 28 points on 11 of 16 shooting to go along with nine rebounds.
It was just the latest solid effort from the now-Rookie of the Year frontrunner. Since the All-Star break, Saric has averaged 19.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game.
The Sixers will need another similar performance and then some to earn a victory over the Clippers.
3. House of horrors
Perhaps no game has embodied the Sixers' struggles during "The Process" era more than the yearly Los Angeles date with the Clippers.
The Sixers have been absolutely plastered by the star-studded Clips on the road since Brett Brown took over as head coach. In the last three matchups against the Clippers at Staples Center, the Sixers have lost by a combined 112 points or an average of 37.3.
Yikes.
With the Sixers already notching a win over the Chris Paul-less Clippers back on Jan. 24, they can expect him, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and company to be in search of another beatdown.
4. Injuries
Gerald Henderson (hip), Tiago Splitter (calf), Joel Embiid (knee), Ben Simmons (foot) and Jerryd Bayless (wrist) are out for the Sixers.
Diamond Stone (knee) is a game-time decision for the Clippers.
5. This and that
• The Sixers are looking to sweep the season series from the Clippers for the first time since the 2010-11 season.
• The Sixers scored a whopping 66 points in the paint during the season's first meeting compared to 20 for the Clippers.
• Jordan had 10 points and 20 rebounds in the first matchup. He has averaged 11.2 points and 13.3 boards against the Sixers during his career.