Inside Sixers: Joel Embiid’s quip after scoring 52 points, and Mac McClung and Louis King’s whirlwind week

NEW YORK — As Jaden Springer worked his way around the Barclays Center three-point arc, 76ers skill development coaches Tyler Lashbrook and T.J. DiLeo dropped some playful comments about Springer’s stoic demeanor.

“At some point, you’ll smile,” Lashbrook told Springer.

“You in a bad mood this morning?” DiLeo added.

“I’m in a great mood,” Springer responded.

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Even a tweaked ankle that Springer unsuccessfully tried to play on could not dampen spirits after the Sixers cruised to a 134-105 victory over the Brooklyn Nets to finish off the regular season. With the Sixers’ seed and matchup against the Nets already cemented, several rotation players skipped the meaningless finale. Instead, two-way players Mac McClung and Louis King both scored 20 points, and five others finished in double figures to propel the Sixers to build (then rebuild) a big lead.

A crucial playoff journey begins Saturday afternoon at the Wells Fargo Center. But before that, here are some behind-the-scenes moments that peppered the final week of the regular season, which also included Joel Embiid’s 52-point masterpiece against the Boston Celtics, a slog of a loss to the Miami Heat, and a wild overtime win at the Atlanta Hawks.

As Springer went through that shooting routine, McClung and King sat on either side of head video coordinator Eli Kell-Abrams. That was part of the Sixers’ plan to bring those players up to speed, considering their quick turnaround after winning a G League championship in Texas on Thursday night.

McClung called that staff and teammates “so welcoming and helpful,” especially when “I had no legs” after traveling to Atlanta on Friday. King added that the unique grind of the G League meant he was prepared for the 4 a.m. wakeup call for their flight, and appreciated how the Sixers kept their game plan simple.

“If you’ve got the open shot, take it,” King said he was told. “Be in the passing lane early, so we can get out and run.”

After Sunday’s game, McClung also received some ribbing in the locker room, primarily from reserve center Montrezl Harrell. Harrell and assistant coach Dan Burke apparently made a $100 bet on McClung taking a charge in the game, and Burke needed to pay up after McClung drew a late offensive foul late.

About two hours before Thursday’s tipoff, Miami Heat staffers hollered from one end of the Wells Fargo Center court to the other. They wanted to get the attention of Sixers veteran center Dewayne Dedmon, who spent parts of the past three seasons with the Heat before joining the Sixers off the buyout market in February.

Dedmon’s connection to Miami surfaced again Sunday afternoon in Brooklyn, when he caught wind of 20-year mainstay Udonis Haslem scoring 24 points in 25 minutes in what is expected to be his final NBA game before retirement.

“Oh, he was an [expletive] bucket,” Dedmon said from his locker while watching clips on his phone of the 42-year-old Haslam, who notched his highest scoring total since 2009.

Then, when coach Doc Rivers passed through the locker room, Dedmon asked, “You played against Udonis, right?”

“I had to, right?” Rivers joked in response.

A benefit of finishing third in the conference standings is that the Sixers know their opponent and get nearly a week to prepare, while the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks and second-seeded Boston Celtics wait for the play-in tournaments to unfold.

Rivers acknowledged that the Sixers started ramping players down even before Friday, when a mostly complete roster lacked energy in a blowout home loss to the Heat. Then, multiple rotation players sat out against the Hawks on the second night of a back-to-back set.

» READ MORE: Gauging the Sixers’ championship chances ahead of their playoff opener against the Nets

Though most key players did not partake in Sunday’s game in Brooklyn, some still got in some pregame conditioning work. Rivers described a “big workout … with a bunch of our guys.”

“They did a lot of running back there,” Rivers said. We’ve already started the [preparation] process.”

* Less than an hour after making 20 out of 25 shots in his 52-point eruption, Embiid removed his jersey and tossed it toward the laundry basket in the middle of the Sixers’ locker room. The clothing fell short, prompting him to quietly quip, “I’m not hot anymore.”

* Rivers’ company while walking the Barclays Center hallway past the Sixers’ locker room following Sunday’s game? Seth Curry — the Sixer-turned-Net who is also Rivers’ son in law — and Curry’s daughter (Rivers’ granddaughter).