Sixers face struggling Nets

It's been an extreme schedule thus far for the Sixers, and it continues tonight as the winless New Jersey Nets (0-5) visit the Wachovia Center.

In their two losses this season, the Sixers have been blown out at Orlando and at home this past Tuesday by the Celtics. Those two teams are a combined 10-1 and appear to be among the elites in the Eastern Conference. The Sixers' two wins this season have come against the New York Knicks and the Milwaukee Bucks, who are a combined 2-6.

The Nets will be very shorthanded tonight as they probably will dress just nine players as Yi Jianlian will be out 2 to 4 weeks with a sprained MCL, Devin Harris is out for about the same time with a groin pull and Jarvis Hayes, Keyon Dooling and Tony Battie are also out with various injuries. Add to that second year swingman Chris Douglas-Robers is battling the flu and might also be out tonight.

A loss tonight would give the Nets their worst start in team history. They started 0-5 once before, in the 1996-97 season under John Calipari.

The Sixers will welcome a shorthanded and struggling team in an effort to erase the memory of the Celtics loss in which Boston drained 14-of-20 three pointers and shot close to 57 percent from the floor.