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Ex-Sixer Holiday returning to Philly

Here come Jrue Holiday and the New Orleans Pelicans. That might not be a good thing for the 76ers based on the teams' Nov. 16 meeting at the New Orleans Arena. Back then, the Pelicans rolled to a 135-98 victory to hand the Sixers their worst loss of the season.

The Pelicans' Jrue Holiday. (Eric Gay/AP)
The Pelicans' Jrue Holiday. (Eric Gay/AP)Read more

Here come Jrue Holiday and the New Orleans Pelicans.

That might not be a good thing for the 76ers based on the teams' Nov. 16 meeting at the New Orleans Arena. Back then, the Pelicans rolled to a 135-98 victory to hand the Sixers their worst loss of the season.

"They did just whatever they wanted to do," power forward Thaddeus Young said after the game.

This time, Holiday could have an emotional return in the matchup at 8 p.m. Friday at the Wells Fargo Center. The game will mark his first return to Philadelphia since the Sixers (6-10) traded him to the Pelicans (6-8) on draft night.

But the point guard's former team realizes it can't focus on stopping just him.

Scoring at will, the Pelicans shot 60.5 percent, blocked 16 shots, and had eight double-figure scorers in the previous matchup. They also had a commanding 103-66 cushion after three quarters en route to snapping a three-game losing streak.

Ryan Anderson dominated the Sixers in his first game of the season. The 6-foot-10, 240-pound forward made 6 of 10 three-pointers en route to finishing with 26 points in a reserve role. He was inactive the first nine games with a broken toe.

Shooting guard Eric Gordon added 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting.

Holiday finished with 14 points, 12 assists, and 6 rebounds.

Anderson, Gordon, and Holiday weren't the only dominant Pelicans.

Chester native Tyreke Evans, a reserve guard, added 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting. Power forward Anthony Davis finished with 13 points, 9 rebounds, 8 blocks, and 2 steals. He tied a franchise record for blocks in a quarter with five in the first.

Sixers swingman Evan Turner, meanwhile, produced his worst performance of the season, finishing with four points on 2-for-11 shooting. That was way below his season average of 21.4 points.

Sixers center Spencer Hawes (left-knee soreness) and backup point guard Tony Wroten (lower-back strain) are listed as game-time decisions. The Seattle natives and University of Washington products missed the last two games.

@PompeyOnSixers

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