The Sixers’ Danny Green has been mostly on his game lately | Off the Dribble

Good morning, 76ers fans. The Sixers kicked off their four-game road trip Tuesday night with a 106-96 win at Boston.

Joel Embiid stole the headlines with a 35-point performance. Danny Green quietly enjoyed a big game, needing just seven shots to score 17 points. It was another strong recent performance for Green. He and Dwight Howard are the only Sixers to appear in all 51 games.

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— Marc Narducci (offthedribble@inquirer.com)

There is no doubt that Green has had an up-and-down season. Lately, he has been effective, especially with Embiid having missed 10 recent games because of a bone bruise in his left knee and then sitting out Sunday’s 116-100 loss to Memphis to rest the knee.

In the 13 games since Embiid suffered his injury on March 12, including the two Embiid has played in his return, Green has averaged 13.3 points and shot 49-for-98 (50%) from three-point territory. For the season, he is averaging 9.8 points and shooting 41.5% from three-point range.

Against Boston, he shot 6-for-7 from the field, including 5-for-6 from beyond the arc. Green was truly in rhythm.

“I think the pace that we play at allows me to get in good rhythm and the fact that Joel draws double teams and gets it out and we move it pretty well, so the more you make shots, the more you feel better,” Green said after Tuesday’s win.

Green’s best game of the season came during this stretch, when he scored 28 points, shooting 9-for-14, including 8-for-12 from three-point range, in a 109-101 road win over the Los Angeles Lakers on March 25 (with Embiid out of the lineup).

He has had the ability to bounce back from an off game and be a major contributor. For instance, Green had just six points and shot 2-for-6 from three-point range in Sunday’s 116-100 home loss to Memphis.

Green has scored in double figures 24 times in his 51 games. The Sixers are 20-4 when he scores in double digits.

Keith Pompey writes that Tobias Harris continues to show his worth under Doc Rivers.

Pompey reports on George Hill’s status, with Doc Rivers saying there is no timetable for his return.

The Sixers have dropped again in The Inquirer’s NBA power rankings, although they have remained in the Top 10.

In a recent podcast, Pompey says that the Sixers must fill the void left by the trading of Tony Bradley.

Rob Tornoe writes that Philadelphia is allowing more fans to see events at Citizens Bank Park and the Wells Fargo Center.

One transcendent player is returning, while another is on the shelf for the Brooklyn Nets. On Tuesday, the Nets announced that James Harden has a right hamstring strain. The team says he will be reevaluated in about 10 days.

If that 10-day figure holds, Harden will miss the Nets game against the Sixers at the Wells Fargo Center on April 14.

Harden had missed two games with hamstring tightness before returning in Monday’s 114-112 win over the visiting New York Knicks. He lasted just 4 minutes and 22 seconds before reinjuring the hamstring.

There is no telling how long he will be out, but the Nets will see if they can keep pace with the Sixers in the Eastern Conference during his absence. Both teams are 35-16.

Since being acquired from Houston earlier this season, Harden has appeared in 34 games for the Nets, and they are 27-7. In the four games he has missed with the Nets, they are 1-3.

Hamstring injuries can lead to long recovery periods. Just ask Kevin Durant. The Nets list Durant as probable for Wednesday’s home game vs. New Orleans. He has missed the previous 23 games because of a left hamstring strain. The Nets have gone 19-4 during his absence.

It will be interesting how they fare without Harden, who as a Net is averaging 25.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and 11.0 assists.

Friday: Sixers at New Orleans Pelicans, 8 p.m. Smoothie King Center, NBC Sports Philadelphia

Saturday: Sixers at Oklahoma City Thunder, 9 p.m. Chesapeake Energy Arena, NBC Sports Philadelphia

Monday: Sixers at Dallas Mavericks, 8:30 p.m., American Airlines Center, NBC Sports Philadelphia

April 14: Brooklyn Nets at Sixers, 7 p.m., Wells Fargo Center, ESPN

April 16: Los Angeles Clippers at Sixers, 7 p.m. Wells Fargo Center, NBC Sports Philadelphia/ESPN

Question: Embiid 1) Great player or 2) Good player? My answer: when he plays, Embiid is GOOD! NOT GREAT! Great players play 95% of Games whether HURT or SICK! SLAP in the face to his teammates that Embiid sits on the bench in his bedroom slippers. After this season, TRADE EMBIID to Detroit Pistons for their #1 pick in this years draft plus Pistons #1 in 2020 draft plus Pistons 6′7 three point shooter, Villanova’s Saddiq Bey. — Gary Shesko via email

Answer: Thanks for the question and comment, Gary. I wish you would really try to give a strong opinion on things. Only kidding.

I respect your opinion, but couldn’t disagree more. We all know Embiid is injury-prone, but with him, the Sixers have a chance to compete for the title. (His 35-point performance in Tuesday’s win at Boston was another example of his dominance.)

No draft picks from Detroit or Saddiq Bey — whom I like, but he is not a difference maker — would come close to making the Sixers a championship contender. Nobody in the NBA can defend Embiid one-on-one, and all the double teams he draws leaves teammates open. Knowing the injury history, I still would stick with Embiid because he can carry a team.

Send questions by email to mnarducci@inquirer.com or @sjnard on Twitter.