The Philadelphia 76ers are in the midst of a tough stretch as they wind down the regular season and prepare for the playoffs. They began a four-game road trip Wednesday with an easy 116-91 win over the Chicago Bulls.
The Sixers won despite playing without star point guard James Harden (left Achilles soreness) and Jalen McDaniels (right hip). Then they lost Joel Embiid at halftime due to mild calf tightness, though it sounds as if, had the game been closer, Embiid would have continued to play.
The Sixers expect Embiid and Harden to return on Friday when they continue the road trip in The Bay against the Golden State Warriors.
“I do, but I can’t guarantee that, you know, but I do expect him back,” coach Doc Rivers said about Harden’s return.
If there is even the slightest doubt or concern, the Sixers are not going to push Harden. There are 10 games left before the playoffs begin, and the postseason is so much more important at the moment.
Health has been such a big deal for the Sixers. Embiid has dealt with a major injury in each of the past two postseasons as well as in the 2018 playoffs. Harden was dealing with a hamstring issue in his first playoffs with the Sixers in 2022. Philadelphia wants to be sure he is ready for the postseason.
“We don’t want him playing if it’s sore,” Rivers added on Harden. “So if it’s sore enough, we still won’t play him on Friday. We just — we’re at that point. Like probably early in the year, everybody still played. We’ve gone into playoffs two years in a row with injuries. We all know you don’t win in the playoffs when your key guys aren’t healthy, period, and so we’re going to do whatever we can to be healthy.”
Time will tell whether Harden can return, but if he isn’t 100% ready, then it would be in Philadelphia’s best interest to sit him.
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