Sixers’ rare break came at ‘perfect’ time for Nicolas Batum’s sprained finger

WASHINGTON — Kevin Johnson arrived with medical tape, then the 76ers’ head athletic trainer began an intricate wrapping routine to keep Nicolas Batum’s sprained finger protected-yet-nimble for his team’s shootaround at Capital One Arena.

After missing Friday’s loss at the Boston Celtics because he had aggravated the injury he initially suffered Nov. 8, Batum was ready to return for Wednesday’s matchup at the Wizards. The starting forward called the Sixers’ rare four days between games “actually perfect, timing-wise,” allowing him to stay out of contact drills and give the finger on his right hand some time to heal.

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Yet he also is still “trying to get used to the pain,” which he feels “pretty much every time” he catches or passes the ball.

The unconventional break, which is a byproduct of the NBA’s new In-Season Tournament, was beneficial for several Sixers, who are expected to have their full roster available against the Wizards.

Kelly Oubre Jr. was not listed on Tuesday evening’s injury report, as he is expected to come off the bench “early” in Wednesday’s game in his return from a fractured rib suffered in a reported hit-and-run accident. Also not listed were Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, who were both out sick Friday but were back at practice earlier this week. Starting guard De’Anthony Melton (illness) was listed as probable to play and was present at shootaround Wednesday morning.

Wednesday’s matchup against the Wizards is Game 20 for the Sixers, essentially the quarter point of the regular season.

Players, though, don’t necessarily break the calendar into such segments. Reserve big man Paul Reed said he views the schedule as the games before the All-Star break, then after it. Veteran forward Robert Covington, meanwhile, said he has more of a day-by-day approach.

“When [former Sixers coach] Brett Brown was here, we used to break it up into chunks,” Covington said. “As you get older, more of your focus is on day by day, what can you get better at game by game? That’s the main thing.”

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At this point in the season, coach Nick Nurse has used two consecutive practice days to focus on adding some offensive wrinkles. Reed added that the Sixers also have continued to clean up defensive fundamentals, such as closing out on shooters and helping when a teammate takes a risk for an aggressive play.

The four players acquired in the James Harden trade — Batum, Covington, Marcus Morris Sr., and KJ Martin — also are still getting up to speed on some technical elements, such as “the way we cover certain NBA sets, anything that we do that’s maybe not that widely done,” Nurse said. Those are intricacies that are broken down during training camp, but not as much during the regular season’s rhythm.

“Sometimes I get confused on a few things,” said Covington, who is coming off a season-high 18 points in Friday’s loss. “But the guys have been really great with me as far as still keeping me fresh with everything. Everything’s pretty much fairly simple. It’s just terminology, just getting it down pat more and more.

“It’s been great that I’ve legit found my rhythm, and we’ve got to keep building off that.”

When Reed came over for Tuesday’s media session, he jokingly said, “Don’t ask me nothing controversial, man. … You know I ain’t gonna sugarcoat nothing. Don’t ask me something that’s gonna go viral.”

Reed, of course, was referencing his “big flopper” comments about Anthony Davis before last week’s blowout victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.