The Philadelphia 76ers will look to quickly bounce back from a disappointing performance against the Orlando Magic Friday night when they take on the Heat in Miami on Saturday night. The afternoon injury report indicates that task may be a bit more difficult than originally expected.
Per the Inquirer’s Keith Pompey, Sixers forward Tobias Harris is listed as questionable for the game against the Heat with “right hip soreness.” The news comes as somewhat of a surprise after Harris played 36 minutes against the Magic on Friday and there were no indications after the game that he was dealing with any kind of discomfort.
Sixers forward @tobias31 is questionable tonight vs. #MiamiHeat with right hip soreness.
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) December 28, 2019
Harris played a decent game against the Magic, scoring 24 points to go with 11 rebounds and three assists. After a slow start to the season, he has been playing at a near All-Star level over the past five weeks or so, playing like the player the Sixers expected him to be when they signed him to a five year, $180 million contract last summer.
For the season, Harris is averaging 19.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists.
Despite it only being December, Saturday presents a pretty big game for the Sixers. Not only do they want to quickly get the taste of Friday’s disappointing showing out of their mouths, but the Heat currently sit a game and a half ahead of the Sixers in the Eastern Conference standings as a handful of teams jockey for spots two through six in the conference while trying to close ground on the Milwaukee Bucks. Saturday’s game is one the Sixers would really like to win, and being at full strength would certainly be welcomed.
Harris’ status is something to keep an eye on as we approach the 8:00 PM tipoff. [lawrence-related id=22328,22309]