Brooklyn @ Philadelphia preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 11, 2018 ) Philadelphia 120, Brooklyn 97

The Philadelphia 76ers are streaking toward the playoffs as they enter Friday's home contest against the Brooklyn Nets. Philadelphia recorded its 12th win in the past 17 contests with Thursday's 118-110 comeback victory over the New York Knicks and now begins a stretch in which six of seven games are at home.

The 76ers, who are in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, took another step toward making the postseason for the first time since 2012 when they outscored New York 35-19 in the fourth quarter. Center Joel Embiid recorded 29 points and 10 rebounds for his second straight double-double and 35th of the season. The Nets have lost 18 of their past 21 games after suffering a 116-102 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday but coach Kenny Atkinson is attempting to keep a competitive vibe down the stretch. "We're trying to build something here," Atkinson told reporters. "Us finishing the season in an upward take, upward kind of move, it's important to us. So we're kind of playing our own playoffs. Every game for us is huge for our development."

TV: 7 p.m. ET, YES (Brooklyn), NBCS Philadelphia

ABOUT THE NETS (21-47): Point guard D'Angelo Russell has put together back-to-back stellar games by averaging 29 points and going 11-of-20 from 3-point range during the stretch. Russell made seven 3-pointers in the first quarter against Toronto - two shy of the NBA record for most in a single quarter (nine by Golden State's Klay Thompson) - while scoring 32 points for his third 30-point effort of the campaign. "My teammates got me open," Russell said afterward. "In transition, they found me. Maybe they made the extra pass to me. I give a lot of credit to them."

ABOUT THE 76ERS (37-30): Standout guard Ben Simmons had 13 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds against the Knicks for his eighth triple-double of the season, and the second-most by a rookie in NBA history behind legendary Oscar Robertson (26). Simmons also joined Robertson and Magic Johnson as the only rookies in NBA history with at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists but he wasn't too interested in comparisons after the contest. "I try not to get carried away with what people say," Simmons told reporters after the contest. "People want me to be a scorer or a player that I'm not right now. I can score the ball but I can also rebound and pass the ball and I'd rather do that and do what I'm really good at than force things."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The teams split two meetings in Brooklyn earlier this season.

2. Philadelphia F Dario Saric recorded 21 points and 12 rebounds against the Knicks and is averaging 20.2 points over the past six games.

3. Brooklyn PG Spencer Dinwiddie is just 7-of-25 shooting over the past two games.

PREDICTION: 76ers 109, Nets 102