MILWAUKEE — The Philadelphia 76ers are dealing with injuries to several key players and it goes far beyond star center Joel Embiid, who only played in 13 games this season and did not travel with the team due to inflammation in his left knee.
Philadelphia had eight players on its injury report for Sunday night’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks. In Saturday night’s loss to the Indiana Pacers, the 76ers were without five crucial players — including Embiid, Paul George and Kyle Lowry — due to injuries, leaving Tyrese Maxey, the team’s leading scorer, to handle much of it. of the load.
“It’s not just him,” Nurse said when asked about Embiid.
Nurse mentioned that the team found a “good rhythm” when Embiid was absent in December. The 76ers went 9-3 last month, with Embiid missing five games and playing limited minutes in two others.
The difficult part lately, according to Nurse, is dealing with injuries to multiple players. Among them is KJ Martin, who has been out since December 23 with a left foot injury.
“He’s a player who on a night like this is one of our most physical defenders,” Nurse said. “Any time there is a strong power forward that can go to the rim, he is good coverage for those players.”
For now, Nurse will have to continue putting together a rotation.
“We’ll just figure it out day by day until we have something resembling regular lineups,” Nurse said.
Bucks coach Doc Rivers said he knows the frustration that comes with having to put together a game plan without the oft-injured Embiid, having coached the star center during his three-season stint as coach of the 76ers.
“You want him to be healthy. I’ve been through that,” Rivers said. “It’s hard to win without your best player, or even when your best player is playing and not healthy. It’s just difficult. I have lived that.”
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This story was translated from English by an AP editor with the help of a generative artificial intelligence tool.
2025-01-20 02:54:00