Sixers holding on by a thread as injuries mount for Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Co.
Nick Nurse on his ailing team: “You want to put your best team out there, and get them to continue to improve and grow, all that stuff."
SAN FRANCISCO — The 76ers are finding a way to keep things somewhat intact.
The most obvious reason is Joel Embiid’s historic season. However, Embiid hasn’t always been available. And he’s not alone.
The Sixers suffered a 119-107 loss to Golden State WarriorsTuesday night at the Chase Center in their 45th game of the season. They’ve only had their full complement of standard-contract players in nine of those games.
And after Tuesday’s loss, the Sixers dropped to fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings with a 29-17 record. It was their fourth-straight loss of the season.
One has to wonder what their record would have been if not for injuries. The Sixers are 10-2 when their normal starting lineup of Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Nico Batum, Tobias Harris, and De’Anthony Melton are intact. Even better, the Sixers are 9-0 when they have their full roster.
But they haven’t had that luxury since beating the Charlotte Hornets on the road by 53 points on Dec. 16 at the Spectrum. Tuesday’s contest against the Warriors was yet another example of the Sixers entering the game as a shell of themselves.
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Maxey, the Sixers’ second-leader scorer, missed his third consecutive game with a sprained left ankle. Batum was sidelined with left hamstring tightness. It was the ninth straight game that Melton missed with a lumbar spine stress response. And for key reserve Robert Covington, this marked his 14th game missed with a left knee bone bruise. Another key reserve Marcus Morris Sr. also missed the game with left foot plantar fasciitis.
Embiid, who is dealing with left knee soreness, returned after missing the previous two games. He had only played in 33 of the Sixers’ first 44 games because of various injuries and ailments. And it appears that he could miss more.
The reigning MVP left the game with 4 minutes, and 4 seconds remaining after getting tangled with Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga while going to a loose ball. Embiid grimaced in pain as Kuminga fell on his already sore left knee. He then grabbed his knee, rolling in pain before finally making it to his feet and limping into the locker room.
“They’re gonna do an MRI tonight or tomorrow,” coach Nick Nurse said. “I’t kind of unrelated to the what’s been bothering him, so we’ll just wait on that.”
While Embiid could miss more time, Tuesday was Harris’ second game back after missing two contests with the flu.
The mounting injuries have hit the Sixers in the midst of what is arguably their worst stretch of the season.
They began the road trip with a 134-122 loss to the Indiana Pacers Thursday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Nuggets prevailed 111-105 on Saturday at Ball Arena. And on Monday, the Sixers suffered a 130-104 loss to the struggling Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center.
“You want to put your best team out there,” Nurse said, “and get them to continue to improve and grow, all that stuff. But I think that the reality of it all is it is an ever-changing thing in this day and age.”
That’s a reality Nurse, his coaching staff, and players have to accept. Until players get healthy, the Sixers must find ways to win with players who were relegated to the end of the bench earlier this season.
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“More of these guys we slot in, I still see it as super valuable for team growth,” Nurse said. “That’s just the way our staff approaches it.”
This has provided opportunities for Furkan Korkmaz, Jaden Springer, Danuel House Jr. and KJ Martin to get consistent minutes.
But while Nurse looks at the big picture, the Sixers were expected to have grander aspirations.
When he plays, Embiid has been the league’s most dominant player. The seven-time All-Star is averaging a league-best 36.0 points through 33 games. He is also sixth in rebounds (11.4), and tied for 10th in blocks (1.8), and averages a career-best 5.8 assists. Embiid had scored at least 30 points in 22 consecutive games before Tuesday.
Maxey is an All-Star candidate averaging career highs in points (25.7), rebounds (3.6), assists (6.6), and steals (1.0). Harris has been impactful as the team’s third star. Batum is a solid three-and-D glue guy. Melton and Covington are among the league’s best defenders. And Morris provides toughness and scoring off the bench.
Still, as injuries mount, the Sixers find themselves trying to hold things together.