Sixers exhibition Friday, hit Palestra on Sunday
The Sixers open their two-game preseason schedule Friday night in Washington, then will have an open scrimmage Sunday night at the Palestra.
Ready or not, the preseason is upon the Sixers. Friday night they will play in Washington against the Wizards. Coach Doug Collins said that none of his players will play more than 24 minutes - as least that's the hope - and that he will be looking to see how certain players can blend together on the court.
Thursday's practice produced very good results, according to the coach, and ended with a sharp 12-minute scrimmage. During that run, Spencer Hawes, Thaddeus Young, Lou Williams and Jrue Holiday all stood out, but it was really impressive at how crisp both units looked, especially considering how tired and sloppy they looked at the end of Wednesday's practice.
It appears as though Collins will go with a starting lineup on Friday of Holiday, Jodie Meeks, Andre Iguodala, Elton Brand and Hawes. During Thursday's scrimmage, Evan Turner was doing the ball-handling for the second team while Lou Williams played the two-guard spot.
The team also officially announced Thursday that they will hold a free, open-to-the-public scrimmage at the Palestra on Sunday night from 6-8 p.m. The first 1,500 fans will receive a free Sixers shirt and coach Collins will wear a microphone during the workout.
The team will host the Wizards on Tuesday at 7 at the Wells Fargo Center. They then will practice the next three days before having off on Christmas Eve and fly out to Portland on Christmas day. They'll open the season against the Trail Blazers on December 26.
More to come.