Tag: Robert Covington

Full injury report for Joel Embiid, Sixers in home matchup vs. Kings

Here is the full injury report for Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers for their home matchup with the Sacramento Kings on Friday.

The Philadelphia 76ers will return home on Friday to play host to the Sacramento Kings while looking to end a three-game losing skid. They have been short-handed as a result of a number of injuries to key players such as Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, De’Anthony Melton and Robert Covington.

Sidelined by left knee inflammation, Embiid will miss his third consecutive game on Friday. The big fella has been getting on-court work in preparation to return to the floor, but obviously, it hasn’t been enough to get him back against Sacramento.

As for Covington, he has not played since Dec. 30 against the Chicago Bulls on the road. He has also been dealing with a left knee issue, and he is also listed as out against the Kings due to left knee inflammation.

The Sixers look to end their longest losing skid of the season when they take on the Kings at 7:30 p.m. EST on Friday at the Wells Fargo Center.

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Sixers to be without Joel Embiid, Robert Covington in matchup vs. Hawks

The Philadelphia 76ers will be without Joel Embiid and Robert Covington in a road matchup with the Atlanta Hawks.

The Philadelphia 76ers will be undermanned once again when they visit the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.

Tobias Harris, De’Anthony Melton, and Furkan Korkmaz are set to return after missing most or all of the losses to the New York Knicks and the Utah Jazz. However, the Sixers will be without Joel Embiid and Robert Covington.

Embiid will miss his second consecutive game with a left knee issue. He will sit out for the sixth time in the past eight games due to either the knee injury or a sprained right ankle.

Covington will miss his fourth consecutive game with a left knee issue.

Without Embiid, the Sixers will have to protect the paint better than they did against Utah. In the loss to the Jazz, Philadelphia let Utah score 72 points in the paint.

The tip between the Sixers and the Hawks is 7:30 p.m. EST on Wednesday.

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Complete injury report for Robert Covington, Sixers vs. Bulls at home

Here is the complete injury report for Robert Covington and the Philadelphia 76ers in their home matchup with the Chicago Bulls.

The Philadelphia 76ers will return home on Tuesday to play host to the Chicago Bulls and look to get some revenge over the Bulls following a loss in Chicago on Saturday to end their four-game road trip.

The Sixers continue to be a bit short-handed. While Joel Embiid will return from a four-game absence due to a right ankle sprain, the Sixers will be without De’Anthony Melton for the matchup due to lumbar spine soreness.

The Sixers will also be without Robert Covington due to left knee effusion. Furkan Korkmaz is out due to an illness.

With Melton out, it would have been nice to be able to lean on Covington to provide more off the bench, but with the Sixers now missing some wing depth, they will have to rely on others to step up.

The tip from the Wells Fargo Center is 7 p.m. EST.

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Nick Nurse, Sixers discuss the honor of playing on Christmas Day

Nick Nurse and the Philadelphia 76ers discuss the honor of playing on Christmas Day in the NBA.

CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers are preparing to begin a four-game road trip with a big Christmas Day matchup against the Miami Heat down in South Florida.

Playing on Christmas is an honor for NBA teams. The Sixers are playing on the holiday for the second consecutive year after facing the New York Knicks on Christmas Day 2022.

The best of the best play on the holiday, and for coach Nick Nurse this will be his second time coaching on Christmas. His Toronto Raptors fell to the Boston Celtics in 2019.

“It’s one of those things that you look at from a standpoint of yeah, you’re honored,” said Nurse. “You’re honored to be working on Christmas or part of the fabric of entertainment or whatever it is you want to look at. I look at it totally as an honor to be able to do it. I think that most teams, and our team especially, do a great job of still letting our families be included and all that kind of stuff. So yeah, I view it as a special thing.”

Christmas is a time of family and coming together to celebrate one another. Nurse and the Sixers will have their families with them when they head to Florida and that makes playing on the holiday that much more special for this group.

“Of course,” Melton said of the Christmas Day festivities of the NBA. “I mean, you got to. As a kid, waking up and seeing sports on TV is always a blessing. So now you one of those. Now you can see your friends, family, and a lot of people wake up and watch you.”

As the Sixers get set to take on the Heat, they know the challenges that will await them in Miami, but they also understand that playing on Christmas is a sign that you’re a pretty good team.

“It’s one of the best times,” added Robert Covington. “Only a select amount of teams get to. I think this might be my second time. In the 11 years I’ve been in the league, this is only my second time. It’s always a great experience. Of course, being with family and everything is important, but there’s nothing like seeing your family see you doing your job and what you love. On top of that, you get to have them there with you so it’s nothing like that.”

Tip off from the Kaseya Center is set for 8 p.m. EST on Christmas.

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Sixers preparing for challenge of facing scrappy Heat on Christmas

The Philadelphia 76ers are preparing for a big challenge in front of them when they face the Miami Heat on Christmas.

CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers are preparing to head to South Florida to take on the defending Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat on Christmas Day. The Heat will enter the contest 17-12, and they will offer a test for the Sixers here in the early portion of the season.

Led by Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, the Heat are a scrappy bunch who are always ready for any type of battle. As the Sixers prepare to invade the Kaseya Center on Christmas, they know the type of challenge that awaits.

It doesn’t matter to them that Miami reached the finals in 2023. They’re focused on right now and getting ready to fight.

“I would think more so just because they’re the Heat,” De’Anthony Melton said. “They play hard. They play scrappy and they’re real disciplined. So I think those type things is what we need, just in terms of our outcome of the game, but I mean, it’s a new year. Honestly, they made the finals but I think them being who they are as a team is what makes them so challenging.”

This could be a statement game for the Sixers considering who the Heat are and what they bring to the table every night. However, both Philadelphia and Miami are still working things out.

“It’s still early on in the season,” added Robert Covington. “Like we’re still finding ourselves, there’s still so many pieces. Of course, they have the experience and it definitely is a test, but I mean, like I said it’s still new components. It’s not the same team as last year. There’s different components on both sides.”

Considering the experience the Heat have and who they are, this will offer an idea of what’s to come when the playoffs come around in April and May. The Sixers have to be prepared for the challenges.

“So it’s just basically getting a feel for what’s gonna happen as the season goes on that line,” Covington added. “It’s gonna be a good test. We know what Miami Heat culture is like so it’s gonna be a great game.”

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Full injury report for De’Anthony Melton, Sixers vs. Raptors at home

Here is the full injury report for De’Anthony Melton and the Philadelphia 76ers when they take on the Toronto Raptors at home on Friday.

The Philadelphia 76ers will take on the Toronto Raptors on Friday before hitting the road for a four-game road trip. They will be undermanned when they play host to their division rivals.

The Sixers will be without Nic Batum for a second straight game. He is listed as out with a right hamstring strain. He suffered the injury in a loss to the Chicago Bulls on Monday.

As for De’Anthony Melton, who left Wednesday’s win over the Minnesota Timberwolves with a thigh contusion, he is listed as questionable for this contest.

Robert Covington, who missed Wednesday’s win with an illness, is listed as probable against the Raptors. With Batum out and Melton likely out, Covington will play an important role against Toronto on Friday.

The Sixers look to pick up another win before the road trip that begins on Christmas Day against the Miami Heat.

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Coach Nick Nurse gives an update on Nic Batum, other injured Sixers

Coach Nick Nurse gave an update on Nic Batum and the other Philadelphia 76ers who are dealing with ailments.

CAMDEN, N.J.–The Philadelphia 76ers got back at it on Tuesday following a home loss to the Chicago Bulls on Monday. The Sixers were a bit short-handed as they were missing Marcus Morris Sr. off the bench and then lost Nic Batum to right hamstring tightness down the stretch.

As the Sixers now prepare for the Minnesota Timberwolves, coach Nick Nurse gave an update on Batum who is an important piece to what the Sixers do on a nightly basis.

“He did not practice today (Tuesday),” said Nurse. “He will be out for I think a couple days is what they said. Again, nothing major. It is a little sore. I think they’re looking at some imaging and stuff and see, but at this point, it’s nothing major, but it is a little tight and sore.”

In 17 games with the Sixers including 14 starts, Batum is averaging 6.2 points and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 49% from deep. He is their best entry passer into Joel Embiid and Philadelphia will miss him against the Timberwolves with his defensive acumen.

As for Morris Sr., Nurse gave an update on him as well as Robert Covington who are both dealing with an illness.

“Marcus was not here today,” Nurse added. “A little improvement from yesterday, but was not here. We’ll see. He’s sick so we’ll just have to see if he gets better in time for tomorrow. Robert was also out today with illness.”

The Sixers and the Timberwolves will match up at 7 p.m. EST on Wednesday.

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Daryl Morey assesses how Nic Batum, new pieces fit in with Sixers

Philadelphia 76ers president Daryl Morey assesses how Nic Batum and the other new additions have fit in with the team.

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers made the big move on Halloween to send James Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Nic Batum, Marcus Morris Sr., Robert Covington, KJ Martin and draft picks.

President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey waited for the right deal to come along for Harden, and he ended up getting what he wanted.

Batum has been a starter since he arrived in Philadelphia. He has been an important piece for the Sixers on both ends. Not only is he an elite shooter for this group, but he is also a guy who can make entry passes to Joel Embiid and his high basketball IQ plays a big factor for the Sixers.

“Tremendous,” Morey said. “Like Nic Batum, I mean, we hoped he could come and contribute, until you have a player it’s hard to know, but he’s just been the perfect piece and able to get the ball off quick and shooting, defensively, a glue guy, good passer to Joel been great.”

While Batum has been terrific, the Sixers have also received terrific defensive play out of Covington. His ability to get deflections has made him more than solid on that end of the floor. He makes a big difference for the Sixers with the second group.

“Then Robert has given us some of the best minutes of his career when he’s been in as well,” Morey added. “I’ve worked with Robert before. So he clearly was, like, down in the past — in his recent past and, you know, he feels like sort of unleashed so it’s been really exciting.”

There is always the possibility Morey flips the assets he has received to upgrade the roster as he sees fit, but it’s obvious Batum, Covington and, recently, Morris have shown they can contribute to winning basketball for Philadelphia.

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Sixers’ Robert Covington opens up on staying professional amid changes

Robert Covington opens up on remaining professional amid his role constantly changing for the Philadelphia 76ers.

PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington had a limited role over a quick stretch of games before making an impact in Monday’s blowout win over the Washington Wizards.

Covington played four first-half minutes in a Dec. 6 win over the Wizards and was a did not play coach’s decision against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday. The lack of time was a bit surprising considering how well he has been playing on the defensive end all season and the impact he has off the bench.

One has to wonder if that bothers the veteran out of Tennessee State, but Covington is no stranger to these situations. He went through something similar with the Los Angeles Clippers.

“I just went through a whole year to — no,” he scoffed at the notion of it being tough for him. “No. Not at all. We’re a deep team, so no it does not.”

Coach Nick Nurse has made it clear he is still figuring out the rotation for this group. He is looking for the right mix of players to ensure success on a nightly basis. This is a veteran group that understands how that works.

“It’s the way that he’s still figuring it out line up, Covington added. “So you know, whatever happens, I’ll go and just stay ready. That’s a prime example.”

In Monday’s win, Covington had eight points with four rebounds and a couple of deflections. He did what he is asked to do and it’s another example of his professionalism. He stayed ready and helped the Sixers run away from the Wizards early.

“Listen, you gotta be prepared,” Covington finished. “You gotta be a pro. Every time you step on a court and your name’s called, you gotta be prepared. That’s it at the end of the day. I went through the stuff that I went through LA, everybody asked the same questions. ‘How do I stay ready?’ It’s a mental thing.”

The Sixers next face the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday on the road.

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Sixers did not want to play with Wizards, focused on putting them away

The Philadelphia 76ers did not want to play around with the Washington Wizards and wanted to put them away early.

PHILADELPHIA — The last time the Philadelphia 76ers and the Washington Wizards met on Dec. 6, the Sixers needed 50 points from Joel Embiid to squeak out a five-point win.

The Sixers wanted to make sure that wouldn’t be the case on Monday. They jumped to a 14-0 lead and they put them away early. Philadelphia led by as many as 48 on its way to a 146-101 win. Embiid didn’t play in the fourth quarter and finished with 34 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.

Afterward, coach Nick Nurse admitted the contest in Washington D.C. had his team focused more.

“The game the other night against them had us a little focused in the practice and the shootaround and certainly at the start,” Nurse said. “Usually, in an NBA game, you’re gonna see this swing back the other way for a while, but our guys kept playing with good assertiveness at both ends almost for the whole game so it was good.”

It was obvious the Sixers played with a different mentality then in D.C. Philadelphia’s defensive effort was much better, and the Sixers did not allow the Wizards to get into the paint as often as on Dec. 6.

“Well, our approach is different,” added Robert Covington. “Our feel for the game. We came out and we set the tone and not allowed them to set the tone like they did last night. We enforced our will throughout the game and we never let up and that’s why we was able to push through and separate ourselves the way we did.”

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