Joel Embiid, James Harden, and P.J. Tucker miss Sixers’ preseason opener vs Nets, Ben Simmons

NEW YORK — Doc Rivers previously said at least three starters would sit out the 76ers’ preseason opener at Brooklyn.

As expected, those three starters were Joel Embiid, James Harden, and P.J. Tucker, who all missed Monday’s matchup against the Nets. Reserve swingman Danuel House also missed the game.

House is sidelined with a stiff neck, while the three starters were scheduled to miss the game since Thursday.

“It’s nothing to read into,” Rivers said of Harden, Embiid, and Tucker missing the game.

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The other two starters who played — Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey — were joined in the lineup by Matisse Thybulle, Paul Reed, and De’Anthony Melton.

The Sixers’ next preseason game is Wednesday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Wells Fargo Center. Rivers was asked if Harris and Maxey would sit out that game.

“Tyrese is [21] years old, but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t need rest,” Rivers said. “We are looking at everything. ... We don’t have a plan moving forward. We will let our eyes tell us what we need to do.”

Tucker, 37, and Harden, 33, are the oldest two players on the team and Embiid is 28. All three players have dealt with injuries.

Tucker had an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee this summer. Meanwhile, Embiid, who suffered an orbital fracture near his right eye and tore a ligament in his right thumb against the Toronto Raptors in the playoffs, had surgery on the thumb and a procedure on his left index finger following the postseason. And Harden was hampered by lingering left hamstring tightness throughout the season. All three players are said to be healthy.