The Philadelphia 76ers already were facing a tall order when they had to go into Salt Lake City and take on the Utah Jazz who have the best record in the NBA. They then learned that they had to battle without the help of their best player in Joel Embiid.
Coach Doc Rivers said in his pregame availability that he expected the big fella to play and he was not aware of any issues. However, he was then a late scratch due to back tightness.
“I thought there was no issues with Joel,” said Rivers after the loss. “I thought he could play and then they came to me and told me his back is still stiff. I don’t think this is a long term issue or anything like that. It’s just a game missed.”
Ben Simmons, who stepped up and poured in a career-high 42 points, revealed that the team found out about Embiid prior to tipoff. He was proud of the way the team fought without him, but they still have to find a way to come up with a win.
“Prior to the game, but it shouldn’t be a factor,” he stated. “We should always have the same mentality. Coming to compete and win no matter who’s on the floor. I’m proud of my guys tonight. I think everyone stepped up. A lot of people going through stuff, but we put the team first. Guys came out and played hard, played aggressive offensively and defensively and we stuck with it.”
The Sixers will now finally return home and take on the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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