Inside Sixers: Following the World Series, and searching for ‘power’ during a shorthanded week

The 76ers’ week began with Montrezl Harrell celebrating Halloween by walking into Washington’s Capital One Arena wearing a custom Louis Vuitton mask — and with James Harden and P.J. Tucker coincidentally leaving wearing multi-colored, striped outfits that prompted teammate Georges Niang to holler, “They look like they’re having a sleepover!”

The week ended with Tyrese Maxey sitting dejected at his locker on his 22nd birthday, after the Sixers surrendered a double-digit fourth-quarter lead in a 106-104 loss to the New York Knicks.

Following a promising road trip that included three victories in four days, the Sixers slipped with two home losses to the Wizards and Knicks to fall to 4-6 at the 10-game mark. They can at least partially blame the literal and figurative holes in their locker room, after playing each of their past three games without at least one All-Star.

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Joel Embiid was out with flu-like symptoms, an illness that also made reserve wing Danuel House Jr. a late scratch on Friday. Harden’s expected month-long absence due to a foot sprain began Friday, when the Sixers missed his playmaking.

Here are some behind-the-scenes moments that peppered the week:

The Sixers have been part of the Phillies’ magical playoff run, with Embiid, Maxey, Niang and Tobias Harris among the players who have attended games at Citizens Bank Park.

But the World Series was unfortunately timed, with Games 1 through 6 all initially scheduled for nights the Sixers also played.

Creating ways to keep track of those games has been largely spearheaded by director of equipment operations Dan Rosci, a Delaware County native who is the biggest Phillies fan among the players and staff.

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For Game 1, he had a laptop perched on a table in the middle of the visitors’ locker room in Toronto as the Sixers packed up following their Oct. 29 victory over the Raptors. He woke colleagues up with his cheers on the late-night flight to Chicago, as he streamed J.T. Realmuto’s go-ahead home run in the 10th inning. In Chicago, the Sixers had easy access to a television just outside their United Center locker room to catch glances at Game 2. Rosci has worn Phillies gear for his pregame work during this stretch, before changing into his staff quarter-zip jacket for tip-off.

Game 3′s postponement because of rain, however, meant the Sixers were off for Tuesday’s home-run barrage. They were also off Saturday and Sunday, meaning they could watch the decisive Game 6 loss uninterrupted.

The book “48 Laws of Power” has become a staple in Paul Reed’s locker.

He cracked it open ahead of Monday’s win in Washington, telling head strength and conditioning coach Ben Kenyon that he was on law No. 20, “Don’t commit to anybody.” That concept reminds him that, first and foremost, a person must rely on themselves.

The third-year big man learned of the book while watching the Starz television show Power, which naturally references the material. Some of the laws can appear ruthless or even problematic on the surface, though author Robert Greene argues they can be applied in a productive (or abusive) manner by using real-life examples.

“It’s just helping me look at the world from a different perspective,” Reed said. “After watching the show, I was like, ‘Dang, I want to become more powerful.’”

Reed takes Law No. 21 — to appear dumber than you mark — as not revealing his whole “bag” right away, so “people won’t be able to expect what you do next.” The first law, never outshine the master, means Reed can simultaneously compete and respect Harrell, who is ahead of Reed on the Sixers’ depth chart, and coach Doc Rivers’ decisions.

Reed, though, joined Harrell (who started Friday in place of the ill Embiid) on the floor for crunch time of the Sixers’ loss to the Knicks. It’s a combination Reed acknowledged the Sixers have not used very often in practice.

He was tasked with guarding the perimeter while Harrell manned the paint on Obi Toppin’s go-ahead three-pointer with less than two minutes to play. Reed acknowledged after the game that he did not properly close out on the play.

Harrell has worn five numbers — 35, 5, 15, 6 and 8 — during his NBA career. That does not include 24, which he wore during his college career at Louisville.

When he learned 24 was retired in honor of Moses Malone as a rookie with the Houston Rockets, Harrell chose 35 as a nod to fellow Louisville (and WNBA) star Angel McCoughtry. But that was also future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant’s number at the time, and Harrell decided he wanted to switch to a number he could make more his own.

He landed on 5 with the Rockets, and kept that when his career took off with the Los Angeles Clippers. That was his number when he won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award in 2020, which he dedicated to his grandmother after he left the bubble to be with her before she died.

After needing to change numbers with the Los Angeles Lakers, Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets during the previous two seasons because a teammate had 5, Harrell is pleased to return to his preferred digit with the Sixers.

“It’s definitely a number that kind of holds value to me,” Harrell said.