The Philadelphia 76ers will be a little shorthanded on Friday when they take on the Orlando Magic at home looking to finally clinch the No. 1 seed. They could not get the job done in either Indiana or Miami and they will look to do it back in Philadelphia.
The Sixers will be missing their backup big man, Dwight Howard, after he picked up his 16th technical foul in the loss to the Heat on Thursday. With that number, he now must serve a one-game suspension which he will serve on Friday against the Magic.
Coach Doc Rivers has had talks with Howard in the past to try and avoid these technicals, but he also believed he did not deserve the one he got in Miami. He got into a dust-up with Miami’s Udonis Haslem and it appeared that Haslem was the instigator.
“I think we’ve had that talk probably three months ago, but it doesn’t stop,” said Rivers. “Some of them are unavoidable. I really didn’t think Dwight deserved a tech last night, but it’s like the kid that keeps being late for class, and then finally he actually has a real reason but no one believes it so there’s not a lot you could have done about it.”
tremendous stuff here. 40-year-old Miami Heat legend Udonis Haslem makes his season debut only to get ejected, after 2 minutes of play, for altercation with Dwight Howard. pic.twitter.com/vXLGS3IO5y
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) May 14, 2021
Rivers is right about that last point. Unfortunately, Howard already has a reputation with the officials and that is what killed him against the Heat. Now, he must sit and watch a game with the Sixers still looking to clinch that top spot in the East.
“They give you a number on purpose and when you get to that number and you put whether you’re going to play or not in someone else’s hands, usual that doesn’t go your way,” Rivers added. “I would say that’s the case here.”
The Sixers and the Magic will tip-off from Wells Fargo Center at 8 p.m. EDT.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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