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Believing they have the pieces to win, the Sixers look to keep rolling with Joel Embiid sidelined

“We got to win,” Ben Simmons said of the team’s mindset during a tough stretch without Embiid.

Sixers forward Tobias Harris welcomed fans back to the Wells Fargo Center before the Sixers played the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday. The squad thinks it has the tools to continue to excel while MVP candidate Joel Embiid remains sidelined.
Sixers forward Tobias Harris welcomed fans back to the Wells Fargo Center before the Sixers played the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday. The squad thinks it has the tools to continue to excel while MVP candidate Joel Embiid remains sidelined.Read moreYONG KIM / Staff Photographer

The 76ers’ mindset is the same with or without Joel Embiid.

That might serve them well amid a tough stretch of games while the MVP candidate is sidelined two to three weeks because of a bone bruise in his left knee.

In their first game without Embiid, the Sixers routed the San Antonio Spurs, 134-99, Sunday night at the Wells Fargo Center. They’ll continue their four-game homestand Tuesday night against the New York Knicks before hosting the Milwaukee Bucks in Wednesday’s marquee game.

This Sunday, the Sixers will embark on a six-game road trip highlighted by games in Los Angeles against the Lakers (March 25) and Clippers (March 27), and in Denver against the Nuggets (March 30).

“We’ve got to win,” Ben Simmons said of the team’s mindset during a tough stretch without Embiid. “We have to hold it down. I think we have all the pieces to win.

“As you saw [Sunday], we have guys that can get it done. The way we play the game, we play together; that’s how we win, [and are] supposed to win.”

» READ MORE: Can the Sixers survive this upcoming stretch without Joel Embiid?

Sunday’s victory marked the third straight blowout win for the Eastern Conference-leading Sixers (27-12) despite being undermanned. They posted a 127-105 road win against the Chicago Bulls on Thursday, minus Embiid and Simmons, who were in the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocol due to contact tracing. Embiid returned in Friday’s 127-101 road win against the Washington Wizards only to hurt his knee in the third quarter. Simmons returned Sunday.

The three victories have enabled the Sixers to extend their winning streak to five games. The last three wins were by an average of 27.6 points. They won all five games by an average of 21.4.

» READ MORE: The Sixers’ Ben Simmons returns fire on critic | Off the Dribble

“With Joel being out for some time, it’s just on us to find different things and make our chemistry even stronger until he comes back,” Tobias Harris said. “We know how important he is. We know the impact that he brings to the game night in and night out, the level he’s been playing at.”

As a result, they want to be able to maintain the level of intensity they showed with Embiid. The focus is on staying positive.

“We know we can win these games,” Simmons said. “We know what ... we are capable of. We’ve got the guys in the room that can do it.

“So hopefully Joe rests up and by the time he gets back, we are still rolling.”