Jan 31, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Dominick Barlow (25) dunks the ball against the New Orleans Pelicans during the fourth quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Eight days and five games. That is the immediate future for the Sixers on this current West Coast trip that begins Monday against the Los Angeles Clippers, a team that has won 17 of their last 21 games after beginning the season at 6-21.
The Clippers post challenges all over the court with supreme scorers in Kawhi Leonard (27.6 points a game) and James Harden (25.4), a legit big in 7-footer Ivica Zubac (20 rebounds on Sunday vs. Phoenix), and pesky John Collins (13.5 pts).
It's not the best of matchups for the Sixers to begin the road swing, and of course, will be the second game without Paul George, who is serving a 25-game suspension for violating the league's drug policy.
Saturday, coach Nick Nurse started Dominick Barlow in George's place and the forward collected eight points, three rebounds and two steals in 28 minutes.
Dominick Barlow has a huge opportunity in the coming weeks with PG out for his 25-game suspension
And Barlow , who had scraped and fought for years to stay on an NBA roster, knows how important it is to make the most of every opportunity pic.twitter.com/2iLGZDbv7L
On a night when Joel Embiid goes off for 40 points and 11 rebounds, and Kelly Oubre, Jr. hauled down 10 boards, that effort by Barlow was enough for the team. But there has to be more gotten from the spot moving forward -- starting Monday.
Barlow was part of a group on Saturday that limited New Orleans forward Zion Williamson to just 11 points on six shot attempts, but that was more of a team effort than an individual one from Barlow.
If the minutes are going to continue what they were on Saturday, he simply needs to do more. The team still struggles with rebounding and is often hurt by their opponent's second-chance points. In a two-point win over the Sacramento Kings last week, the Sixers were outscored by 24-0 in that department.
There seems to be a comfort level with Barlow from Nurse, so he may stay in the starting lineup for a good chunk of George's suspension. But over his last 103-plus minutes of play, Barlow has only hauled in 13 rebounds. His hustle is undeniable and the little things like setting picks, deflecting passes and desire to get a loose ball are all good enough, but nothing that specifically stands out.
A hustle/hands play from Dominick Barlow on defense nets the Sixers an easy transition bucket: pic.twitter.com/Wk9wVWATig
And his one-on-one defense is probably best described as suspect.
Perhaps there is much more to his game that pleases Nurse, abilities only a coach really sees. But to keep their playoff heads above water for the next 25 games, this is the position that needs to be watched very closely. Nurse does have Jabari Walker, Trendon Watford, Justin Edwards, Adem Bona, maybe even Andre Drummond who could be prospects for that spot. For now, however, it's Barlow's.
The NBA announced its All-Star reserves for the game that is going to be played at the Intuit Dome, home of the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, February 15. Sixers center Joel Embiid was not included on the list, though he could be added if there is a dropout.
But would it be wise to send the former MVP to his eighth All-Star game with the circumstances surrounding him? I'm here to say no.
All-Star weekend is a lot more than just a lazy exhibition game and contests throughout the weekend. There are appearances that have to be made, non-physical practices to attend and just a lot of "take up your time" things that players have to go through.
Add to that the game being across the country less than a week from the Sixers returning from the West Coast, and it just seems like it would be a wise thought to let Embiid enjoy the time at home with his family, take the week off and get ready for the final 28 games of the season.
