However, the 76ers will likely be without starting center Samuel Dalembert against the Nets after he sprained his left ankle and exited in the first half of Friday's 104-94 victory over Washington.

"We're going to have to tighten up our team defense if Sam is not able to go tomorrow or in the near future," Philadelphia coach Tony DiLeo said. "Sam did a great job of protecting the basket. We're going to have to rely on our team defense without Sam out there."

Without Dalembert and his 8.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game, DiLeo will likely look to power forward Elton Brand, who is still "finding his way" after a 16-game absence because of a dislocated right shoulder suffered Dec. 17.

Brand came off the bench for the fourth straight game Friday, scored nine points and blocked four shots. He also had 14 points, seven rebounds and six blocks in Wednesday's 95-93 victory at Houston.

"I think we did a good job of finding (Brand) in the post tonight," leading scorer Andre Iguodala said. "We are finding him, but aren't forcing it."

After signing a five-year, $80 million contract this offseason with the Sixers, Brand has averaged 14.6 points and 9.0 rebounds. Philadelphia went 9-7 overall while he was sidelined from Dec. 19-Jan. 19, losing six of those first eight games before winning seven in a row.

The Sixers, who have a winning record for the first time since being 7-6 on Nov. 23, have not been two games over .500 since April 9, when they were 40-38.

Iguodala, who had 20 points in Friday's win, has averaged 22.6 over the last 15 games - nearly five points better than his season mark of 17.7 per game.

The Nets are trying to salvage a split of their two-game road trip after a 105-88 loss Friday at Atlanta, their third consecutive defeat overall and eighth in the last nine road games.

"We have got to turn it around pretty quick," guard Devin Harris said. "This is the time."

New Jersey hasn't gotten much consistent scoring outside of Harris (21.6 points per game) and Vince Carter (21.4), and the Nets have averaged 92.3 points over the last nine games - nearly six points lower than their season mark.

Rookie center Brook Lopez - averaging 11.6 points - is the only other active player in double figures, and he has a team-leading 7.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. Yi Jianlian, who has averaged 10.5 points and 6.2 rebounds, has missed the past 10 games with a broken right pinkie.

New Jersey broke a two-game losing streak to Philadelphia as Harris scored 27 points in a 95-84 road win on Dec. 6. The Nets have won four of the last six meetings and two of the past three at the Wachovia Center.