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James Harden, P.J. Tucker to miss Sixers’ game against the Indiana Pacers; Jalen McDaniels to return from hip injury

Tucker is dealing with left ankle soreness and McDaniels is recovering from a bruised hip. The Sixers could be without two critical pieces of their defense in Saturday's game.

P.J. Tucker of the Sixers reacts after missing a shot against the Celtics at the Wells Fargo Center on Feb. 25, 2023.
P.J. Tucker of the Sixers reacts after missing a shot against the Celtics at the Wells Fargo Center on Feb. 25, 2023.Read moreCharles Fox / Staff Photographer

INDIANAPOLIS — James Harden (injury management) and P.J. Tucker (ankle soreness) will miss the 76ers’ game at the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night, while Jalen McDaniels (hip bruise) will return to the lineup after missing the previous two games.

De’Anthony Melton and Danuel House Jr. will slide into the Sixers’ starting lineup in place of Harden and Tucker.

The matchup against the Pacers comes on the second night of a road back-to-back set, after the Sixers trounced the Charlotte Hornets, 121-82, on Friday night at the Spectrum Center. Harden was not listed on the Sixers’ injury report throughout Saturday, but was announced as out just before coach Doc Rivers’ pregame news conference.

It is notable, however, that MVP contender Joel Embiid is available to play against the Pacers. He and Harden have recently rested one game of a back-to-back during this grueling March that includes 12 of 15 games on the road.

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Embiid, who has been managing a foot issue for much of the season, missed a March 1 win at the Miami Heat. Harden, who was out for about a month early in the season with a foot tendon strain, did not play in a March 7 victory at the Minnesota Timberwolves. Yet Embiid — along with fellow starters Tucker, Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey — rested the entire fourth quarter of Friday’s blowout win in Charlotte, while Harden played less than three minutes.

Harden is the NBA’s leader in assists (10.8 per game) while also averaging 21.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. He recorded his fifth triple-double of the season in Friday’s victory against Charlotte, 11 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

Tucker, who missed the Sixers’ March 6 win at Indiana with back spasms, is averaging 3.4 points and four rebounds per game in his first season in Philly. McDaniels, who sustained his injury during last Sunday’s win over the Washington Wizards, is averaging 6.1 points and 3.5 rebounds in 13 contests since joining the Sixers in a deadline trade.

The Sixers (47-22) take a seven-game winning streak into Saturday’s meeting against the Pacers. They will enter the night in third place in the Eastern Conference standings, one game back of the second-place Boston Celtics. They have three two back-to-back sets remaining after Saturday: March 24 and 25 at the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns, and April 6 and 7 vs. the Miami Heat and at the Atlanta Hawks.