Sixers coach Doc Rivers says it was an easy decision to sit Joel Embiid against Memphis

Coach Doc Rivers said it was an easy decision to sit Joel Embiid for the 76ers’ game on Sunday against the Memphis Grizzlies at the Wells Fargo Center.

The reason he missed the game, according to the official NBA injury report, was “left knee recovery.”

Embiid returned for Saturday’s 122-113 win over the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves after missing the previous 10 games with a left knee bone bruise.

In the win over the Timberwolves, Embiid had 24 points and eight rebounds and three blocked shots in 28 minutes, 35 seconds.

“His first game back was [Saturday], I would say any player, not just Joel, any player who has been out for three weeks and plays in a game, you probably don’t play him the next night, it’s just smart,” Rivers said before Sunday’s game.

The Sixers have their next set of back-to-back games this week when they visit New Orleans on Friday and are at Oklahoma City the next night.

Rivers said there is no hard-fast rule about Embiid not playing back-to-backs.

This season, Embiid has played in four back-to-backs.

“Back-to-backs figure into this kind of thinking with everyone, but this one is pretty simple,” Rivers said. “I don’t think this is a hard decision for any of us. All the other ones we go by game-by-game and day-by-day, but this one didn’t take a lot of thought.”

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Embiid suffered his recent injury in a 127-101 win at Washington on March 12.

So, with the long layoff the Sixers were being cautious.

After Saturday’s game, Embiid talked about how he felt.

“My body feels great, obviously game shape is different from how your body feels,” Embiid said. “But the main thing is my body feels great, I’ve just got to keep putting up these games and these practices and I’ll be back to where I was before I was hurt.”

After Sunday, the Sixers had played 18 games without Embiid and were 9-9. They went 7-3 in the most recent 10-game stretch that he missed.

A four-time All-Star, Embiid is averaging 29.8 points and 11.3 rebounds in 32 games this season. He didn’t play in either game this season against the Grizzlies, missing the 106-104 loss on Jan. 16 at Memphis with right knee soreness.

George Hill, who was acquired at the March 25 trade deadline from Oklahoma City in a three-team trade that also included the New York Knicks, still isn’t ready to return, according to Rivers.

Hill has not played since Jan. 24 after suffering a right thumb injury that he had surgery for on Feb. 2.

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“He is still progressing, but with injuries like that, breaks, you are not putting them on the floor until you are positive that he can take some hits,” Rivers said. “He has done nothing live yet since the injury and until that happens, he’ll be out.”

One of the reasons the Sixers acquired Hill was his playoff experience. He has averaged 12.1 points in 127 career postseason games.

The Sixers announced before the game that rookie first-round pick Tyrese Maxey was out due to health and safety protocols.

Maxey had tested positive for COVID-19 and missed the beginning of training camp in December.

“It’s just the protocol, an inconclusive test,” Rivers said after Sunday’s 116-100 loss to Memphis about Maxey.