Daily News | As Sixers complete busy stretch, much-needed rest could be coming for Joel Embiid and James Harden
in a jumbled Eastern Conference playoff race with 13 games to play following Friday’s 111-101 victory over Dallas, this weekend could present a time for some creative roster management. When asked before the game if Harden or MVP contender Joel Embiid could sit out against either the Raptors or the Heat, the coach responded with a coy, “It’s possible.”
For the second consecutive game, Embiid was listed as questionable Friday with back soreness stemming from a hard fall he took, before opting to play against the Mavericks. Embiid is also in the category of a player who simply needs a rest after playing in 40 of the Sixers’ past 41 games. Harden, who missed a March 5 loss at Miami to manage the hamstring injury that occurred before the trade, and Tyrese Maxey, a second-year guard playing the most basketball of his life, are also in that group.
Reserve forward Georges Niang, who is playing a career-high 23 minutes per game this season and regained his shooting rhythm in a 4-for-7 performance from three-point range against the Mavericks, said trading on-court work for more detailed film study has been helpful. Maxey has learned throughout the season that, some days, he only shoots layups and free throws during his daily visit to the practice facility and that “sometimes you have to take a day and you have to rest.
The Sixers have also taken advantage of the brief windows between games. After getting drubbed by the Nets last Thursday, they went “live” with full-contact work during practice two days later, a rarity at this point of the season. But after flying to Orlando following that Saturday session and springing forward when the time changed overnight, they did not hold a Sunday morning shootaround before an overtime win over the Magic.
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