NBA Matchups: April 1

PHI @ WAS | ATL @ ORL | BOS @ MIA | NYK @ MEM | SAC @ TOR | IND @ CHI | MIL @ HOU | DEN @ UTA | SAS @ GSW

Philadelphia 76ers at Washington Wizards

Team Totals: 76ers 128.3, Wizards 111.8

Injury Report: Tre Johnson (Q, foot), Alex Sarr (Q, toe), Julian Reese (O, G League), Leaky Black (Q, G League), Bilal Coulibaly (Q, heel)

76ers projected starters: Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Paul George, Dominick Barlow, Joel Embiid

Wizards projected starters: Bub Carrington, Tre Johnson, Justin Champagnie, Bilal Coulibaly, Alex Sarr

Nurse quotes: Said the Heat ran on them too much, said sitting in the zone hurt them a bit because the Heat’s speed made them a step quicker, said they are playing well offensively.

Keefe quotes: Said they played with the pace they wanted, said the process is the most important thing for them and all of their players are trying to get better.

Stats and Notes: 

*The 76ers get an easy game after a tough loss to the Heat on Monday. Their defense hasn’t been all that great, as they get beaten up in transition and have struggled a bit on keeping paint points down. The Wizards were trending up on offense, but they fell apart in the last two against the Blazers and Lakers. Of course, their defense is just getting destroyed by transition and shots around the basket. This should be a blowout in a big way. 

Great matchups: Joel Embiid, Paul George, Tyrese Maxey

Good matchups: VJ Edgecombe, Dominick Barlow

Bad matchups: Nobody

Atlanta Hawks at Orlando Magic (back end)

Team Totals: Hawks 118.5, Magic 114

Injury Report: Jock Landale (Q, illness), Magic on a B2B

Hawks projected starters: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, C.J. McCollum, Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu

Magic projected starters: Jalen Suggs, Desmond Bane, Tristan da Silva, Paolo Banchero, Wendell Carter Jr.

Snyder quotes: Said they had some good possessions against the zone, said Dyson “can’t make ‘em if he doesn’t take ‘em” from deep, said every game for them is essential to move up in the standings, said they have so many playmakers on offense.

Mosley quotes: Said he didn’t have his guys prepared to play against the Raptors.

Stats and Notes: 

*A huge game with the Magic on a B2B. The Hawks showed that their excellent play recently isn’t all about the schedule with a resounding win over the Celtics on Monday. They’ve been great on the boards and have been able to keep transition in check. They are getting beaten in the paint a bit, which is nothing new for how they defend. The Hawks beat the Magic 124-112 on March 16, and they beat them twice during the first two weeks of the season. For the Magic, it’s a disaster, and they have been absolutely destroyed in the last five games (not counting PHX last night). They are getting killed in transition and teams are burying them all over the place on the court. They didn’t have to travel for this B2B, but their defense should struggle in this spot against the up-tempo Hawks.

Great matchups: Jalen Johnson

Good matchups: Desmond Bane, Jalen Suggs, Dyson Daniels, Wendell Carter Jr.

Bad matchups: C.J. McCollum

Boston Celtics at Miami Heat