Sixers expect the injured Kelly Oubre Jr. to return sometime next week

NEW ORLEANS — No designer blazer. No expensive sunglasses. No custom jeans.

Could Kelly Oubre Jr. be in the 76ers’ standard-issue red, white and blue uniform during Friday’s game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden?

Coach Nick Nurse’s belief immediately after practice Thursday was that Oubre would be upgraded to questionable. The coaching staff had yet to speak to Simon Rice, the team’s vice president of athletic care.

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“We’ll get Simon’s report,” Nurse said. “I would probably say questionable, though, if it was me.”

Turns out, the medical staff wants to give Oubre a couple of more days to rehabilitate. So he’ll miss his 11th consecutive game after fracturing a rib, with an expectation of returning next week.

There’s a chance to plays in Wednesday’s game against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. The Sixers will entertain the Atlanta Hawks on Dec. 8.

Meanwhile, Joel Embiid (illness) is listed as questionable for Friday’s game. Nic Batum (hyperextended right index finger) and Jaden Springer (illness) are probable. Danuel House Jr. (left quadriceps bruise) will miss his fourth consecutive game.

Oubre and Nicolas Batum were full participants in practice at the Smoothie King Center. Embiid, Springer, and House did not practice.

Nurse was asked if he expects Embiid to play against the Celtics (14-4) after he was sidelined Wednesday in a 124-114 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.

“I’m going to say yes, I do expect him to be back,” Nurse said. “Let’s be positive.”

The reigning MVP and Springer flew to Boston separately from the team.

Meanwhile, Batum also expects to return after reinjuring his finger against the Pelicans. He’ll know more Friday. The forward said X-rays did not reveal any additional damage. He initially hyperextended his finger against the Celtics on Nov. 8.

“It’s pretty much day-to-day stuff since I did it,” Batum said. “It pretty much hurts every time. [Wednesday] was more than usual, but you can go through it. … But I realized I bent it pretty well [Wednesday].”

The injury on his shooting hand won’t have time to fully heal until he takes a break after the season.

But Thursday’s practice was a step in the right direction for Oubre. It marked the first time he was a full participant since he suffered a broken rib, reporting to Philadelphia Police that he was struck by a car on Nov. 11.

He began light shooting and cardio work last week. Nurse said Rice is trying to push Oubre along to see exactly where he is physically.

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The Sixers could use Oubre’s services. The 6-foot-7, 203-pound forward is averaging 16.3 points on 50% shooting — including 37.8% on three-pointers — in eight games with five starts.

When Oubre returns, the Sixers will look to get him back engaged and make sure he’s locked into what they’re doing.

“Sometimes the sharpness of that part of it takes some time,” Nurse said. “But it’s kind of like get him back in there, get the rhythm, get the total engagement, focus back, get some conditioning back, get some ballhandling back. All those kinds of things I would expect as we go.”

Regardless of who plays, the Sixers hope to have a better result than Wednesday. And they’ll have to do a better job of sticking to the game plan.

Their freelancing left them trying to dig out of a 39-24 hole after one quarter. New Orleans built a commanding 29-point cushion in the third quarter.

The Sixers pulled within eight points with 1 minute, 47 seconds left after New Orleans lost momentum by taking out its starters too soon. They ended up outscoring the Pelicans, 90-85, over the last three quarters.

“Always my bigger concern is whoever we’re playing ... are we focused in on the defensive game plan?” Nurse said. “Then the offensive game plan.

“We talked to the guys about it last night. These coaches pour a tremendous amount of hours into preparing what we think is the game plan. And if you don’t know, if you don’t go out and do it, we don’t even know if it was right or not.”

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Nurse showed the Sixers a lot of video clips Thursday morning of the things game-plan-wise they didn’t do. Then they showed a lot of clips of them following the game plan.

“Which probably happened a lot in the 90-85 portion,” Nurse said. “So it’s just again that is being ready to go [from the start], tied together. You’re not going to execute that stuff perfectly all the time. There’s always going to be mistakes.

“But how much can we limit those with just doing what we are all expecting us to do? They’re still going to rise up and pop you for a three-ball sometimes. But that’s the game you can live with, right?”