The task does not get any easier for the Philadelphia 76ers as they now have to turn around and host the defending champion, Milwaukee Bucks, on Tuesday for another game where they will be shorthanded.
After a tough 103-96 loss to the New York Knicks on Monday where guys played heavy minutes, this will be a tough turnaround for them. The Sixers had Seth Curry play 40:42, Furkan Korkmaz played 39:49, Tyrese Maxey was clocked at 39:16, and Andre Drummond played 38:24.
The Sixers stuck with a 7-man rotation in the second half as only Shake Milton and Georges Niang played off the bench after halftime. That is going to be a big factor on Tuesday against the Bucks.
“As a coach, the first thing you do after a game is look at the minutes and say ‘Damn, I wish I had played them less. All of them’,” said coach Doc Rivers. “Obviously, we couldn’t tonight, but tomorrow we’re going to play 10 guys. We have to. I don’t know who that 10 is, but 10 guys have to play tomorrow. We just got to get our guys to the end of the game so they’re a little fresher.”
To that point, guys like Curry have got to prepare for what is going to be a battle with Milwaukee. There is a reason why the Bucks are the defending champs and the Sixers have to be ready for it.
“Just stick to the routine,” Curry explained. “Listen to your body. You got to be smart about getting work on the court and not overdoing it. This is how the NBA is. It’s usually not with seven or eight players, but coming into the season, you’re going to have stretches like this.”
Curry has been in the NBA for nine seasons now. He understands what he has to do in order to make sure he is ready to go for games. Drummond is the same way as he is in his 10th season in the league.
“Sleep,” Drummond stated. “Sleep as much as we can, just take care of our bodies, ice, compress our knees. Guys who have played a lot of games know how to take care of their body. We know what it takes to sustain our bodies for the rest of the year.”
The Sixers must now look to turn it around quickly as they get set for the Bucks.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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