The Sixers will be without Elton Brand tonight when they take on the Memphis Grizzlies. Brand re-injured his right thumb Sunday when he went up to block Nikola Pekovic's shot in the fourth quarter.
Brand originally sprained his thumb in the game against Miami on Feb. 3. He was sidelined for the next two games against Atlanta and the Lakers.
The thumb is in a hard splint. Brand will also be out of the lineup tomorrow night when the team plays Houston, their final game before the All-Star break. The hope is resting the thumb through All-Star will allow the injury to heal.
In Brand's place, Andres Nocioni will make his first start of the season.
"We are going to see if he can not only give us some good energy but also some good spacing out there on the floor," Doug Collins said. "He's worked very hard and he has been a real pro for us. We think we need some activity but obviously we are giving up some size. That is going to be a real key for us because they do a good job on the offensive backboard."
Nocioni has started 202 games in his eight-year NBA career but he has seen time in just eight games this year and averaged only five minutes.
"That is the reason you have to keep in shape and work hard every night," Nocioni said. "This is what I try to do when I am in the gym, try to be in shape and workout. I just try to do my job. Tonight I am pretty sure I will be in shape and try to run the floor like I did last year."
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"Nocioni is a hard-nosed vet who can still play in this league; we see it in practice every day," Andre Iguodala said. "We know what he is capable of doing. He is going to open up the floor for us a little bit. So hopefully he has his shooting touch tonight and we can just kick it to him if they decide to help in and then that helps for us to get penetration, get easy buckets and get to the foul line. I think it is a good strategy that could help us really win or really hurt us. Hopefully it helps us win."
During the 2008-09 season in Sacramento, Nocioni shot a career-high 44 percent from three-point range. Last year in 54 games for the Sixers, he shot 36 percent from long range.
The Sixers are trying to snap a three-game losing streak, their longest of the season.
Memphis is 18-15 having lost at Houston last night by four. In the Grizzlies starting lineup will be former Sixer Marreese Speights who was traded back in January. Over his last three games he is averaging 13 points and six rebounds.
E-mail Dei Lynam at dlynam@comcastsportsnet.com