Even without Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn Nets will face Sixers with backcourt firepower

Brett Brown says it doesn’t matter who is in or out of Brooklyn’s lineup, the Nets are always a headache to his 76ers squad.

The two teams will renew acquaintances Thursday at the Wells Fargo Center as the NBA resumes action following its lengthy all-star break.

The Sixers returned to practice Wednesday after a week off following their 110-103 win over the visiting Los Angeles Clippers last Tuesday.

Awaiting the Sixers is a 25-28 Nets team that is playing well lately, having won two in a row and four of five. Brooklyn is coming off a 101-91 home win over Toronto last Wednesday, snapping the Raptors’ franchise-record 15-game win streak.

The Nets will be without six-time all-star guard Kyrie Irving, who the Nets said before the game will undergo shoulder surgery and is out for the season. The Sixers will be without two-time all-star point guard Ben Simmons. It was announced about two-and-a-half hours before tipoff that he will miss the game due to lower back tightness.

Irving has played in only one of the three games against the Sixers this season, a 117-106 loss in Philadelphia on Jan. 15. In that game, Irving scored 14 points on 6-of-21 shooting and had a rating of minus-29.

Even without Irving, the Nets are explosive at guard with Spencer Dinwiddie and Caris LeVert, who combine to average more than 36 points per game.

The Nets "always give us trouble,” Brown said Wednesday after practice. “They have a bunch of live ball players that can just get their shots all by themselves.”

The Nets lost in five games to the Sixers during last year’s opening round of the playoffs. The Sixers are currently the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, while the Nets are seventh.

The one unknown for both teams is how much rust they will have coming off the all-star break.

“Games coming out of the all star break are always tricky to me,” Brown said. “You never really know what to expect.”

BROOKLYN (25-28)

12 Joe Harris SF 6-6 13.8 ppg. 4.3 rpg.

2 Taurean Prince PF 6-7 12.4 ppg. 6.2 rpg.

31 Jarrett Allen C 6-11 11.1 ppg. 9.7 rpg.

22 Caris LeVert SG 6-6 15.3 ppg. 3.6 apg.

26 Spencer Dinwiddie PG 6-5 21.0 ppg. 3.5 rpg.

Coach: Kenny Atkinson (fourth season, 115-184)

Injuries: Kyrie Irving (right shoulder impingement) out.

SIXERS (34-21)

12 Tobias Harris PF 6-9 19.0 ppg. 6.7 rpg.

40 Glenn Robinson III SF 6-6 12.7 ppg. 4.6 rpg.

21 Joel Embiid C 7-2 22.9 ppg. 11.9 rpg.

0 Josh Richardson SG 6-5 14.6 ppg. 3.2 apg.

19 Raul Neto PG 6-1 3.9 ppg. 1.5 apg.

Coach: Brett Brown (seventh season, 212-335)

Injuries: Ben Simmons (lower back tightness) is out.

The Sixers lead, 115-84, including 2-1 this year.

The Sixers earned a 117-111 win on Jan. 20 at Brooklyn during a Martin Luther King Day matinee. Ben Simmons had one of his best games ever, a triple-double with 34 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists. He shot 12 of 14 from the field and 10 of 14 from the foul line. Joel Embiid missed the game with a torn ligament in his ring finger. Al Horford added 19 points and six rebounds. Spencer Dinwiddie led the Nets with 22 points.

Feb 22: Sixers at Milwaukee Bucks, 8:30 p.m., ABC

Feb. 24: Atlanta Hawks at Sixers, 7 p.m., NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBA TV

Feb. 26: Sixers at Cleveland Cavaliers, 7 p.m., NBC Sports Philadelphia

Feb. 27: New York Knicks at Sixers, 7 p.m., NBC Sports Philadelphia

Mar. 1: Sixers at Los Angeles Clippers, 3:30 p.m. ABC