Tyrese Maxey, Shake Milton remain out for Sixers’ Monday game against Houston

HOUSTON — The 76ers will play without their two primary point guards for the third consecutive game, as starter Tyrese Maxey (health and safety protocols) and backup Shake Milton (back contusion) were both listed as out for Monday’s matchup at the Rockets.

Sixers coach Doc Rivers said that Maxey, who went into protocols last Monday, is feeling good but is “still trying to reach certain numbers” to be cleared to return to the team. A new NBA rule states that vaccinated, asymptomatic players can leave isolation after six days if determined they are no longer infectious to others.

Reserve big man Paul Reed also remains in protocols, while rookie guard Jaden Springer is listed as out with a non-COVID illness after spending time last week in protocols.

» READ MORE: Joel Embiid’s growing chemistry with Seth Curry, Matisse Thybulle on display

Starting guard Seth Curry, reserve guard Furkan Korkmaz, reserve center Charles Bassey, and two-way forward Aaron Henry are the only full-time Sixers who have not entered protocols at any point this season.

Korkmaz described a team group chat where they all can check in with each other — and break the news that, “I’m down. I’m sorry. See you guys next week.” That continuous flood of teammates and staff cycling in and out of protocols recently prompted Korkmaz, who missed three games with a non-COVID illness last month, to tell head athletic trainer Kevin Johnson, “I’m probably the next [one].”

It’s been more than a month since Joel Embiid frustratingly said following a disastrous 3-of-17 shooting performance Dec. 1 at Boston, lamenting that “I haven’t gotten any easy ones” and “no team is really allowing me to get to the paint. From the time I put the ball on the floor, they’re already sending doubles.”

Embiid’s words had completely flipped by Friday, saying after a dominant victory over the Spurs that “the game is becoming easy, because we’re moving the ball.”

After a slow shooting start by Embiid’s standards, Rivers has been pleased with how the All-Star big man has mixed up his attempts, trading a heavy dose of fadeaway jumpers for regularly powering into the paint and to the free-throw line. He has averaged 30.7 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 4.4 assists while shooting 52.1% from the field and 37.5% from three-point range during his past 15 games, propelling him to be named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for December.

“He’s establishing he’s the biggest, baddest [player] on the floor early,” Rivers said. “And that sets up everything else.”

Embiid’s success has filtered to the rest of the Sixers’ offense, which scored 71 points in both the first half of Friday’s win over the Spurs and in the second half of last Monday’s victory against Houston to tie a season high for most points in a half. The Sixers entered Sunday’s action ranked 10th in in the NBA in offensive efficiency over their past 15 games (112.9 points per 100 possessions).

The Sixers have not much roster continuity this season, with various players in protocols and nursing injuries.

But though establishing a concrete rotation and individual roles during the regular season is preferred, veteran wing Danny Green acknowledged he sometimes enjoys the novelty of mixing up lineup combinations over an 82-game season.

» READ MORE: How Doc Rivers, other NBA coaches collaborate from afar while in COVID-19 health and safety protocols

That occurred last week when Embiid and backup center Andre Drummond shared the floor during a road win at Orlando, or when Green and fellow wing Matisse Thybulle played together in stretches against the Spurs.

“We get pretty enthused and very interested to see how it’s gonna work,” Green said. “… It’s just weird and it’s different, but it’s refreshing and fun to play with guys you don’t play with often.”

Green said he would love to experiment with a defense-first group made up of him, Thybulle, Embiid, Drummond, and Georges Niang. But he acknowledges “that wouldn’t make sense for us offensively” without a back-court creator or playmaker on the floor.