On the heels of two games and two wins at home against the Miami Heat, the 76ers (9-4) are headed back out on the road.
Last time the Sixers hit the road, they were without Tobias Harris, Shake Milton, and Matisse Thybulle (among others) - but all three returned in a big way in the team’s 125-108 win over the Heat Thursday.
Now, headed west on a back-to-back against the Memphis Grizzlies (5-6) and Oklahoma City Thunder (5-6), the Sixers will look to regain control of the Eastern Conference - currently sitting behind the Celtics (8-3) and Bucks (9-4).
After a tumultuous week due to absences across the roster - mostly as a result of NBA health and safety protocols - the Sixers agreed there are plenty of positives to take into the rest of the season.
For one, Doc Rivers feels comfortable expanding his rotation for the foreseeable future.
From Isaiah Joe, to Dakota Mathias, to Tyrese Maxey, more than a few young Sixers capitalized on their opportunities to play extended minutes with teammates sidelined.
The team’s depth will be key once again in Memphis Saturday, as Joel Embiid is out (right knee pain), along with Seth Curry and Vincent Poirier (health and safety protocols), Furkan Korkmaz (left adductor strain), and Mike Scott (right knee swelling). Ben Simmons is probable (left knee swelling) as of Friday evening.
Harris (18 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl) sees what Rivers sees:
“We’ve had depth since we started the season. Now, we have even more.”
Joe, for example, has scored in double-figures in each of his last four appearances. Thursday, the rookie hit four of his first five 3-point attempts. Monday in Atlanta, he racked up 18 points.
Maxey scored 39 points against Denver Saturday, nearly leading the severely shorthanded Sixers to victory.
Plus, Mathias hit a game-winner Tuesday.
As for the slightly-older youngsters, Milton poured in a season-high 31 points Thursday against the Heat, while Thybulle swiped four steals (equal to Miami’s total steals) in his 17 minutes of play.
And while being one of many guys away from the team was difficult, Harris is willing to see a silver lining for the squad:
Saturday’s contest tips at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Opponent Outlook:
The Sixers will head out for a two game, two city, back-to-back over the weekend, facing the Memphis Grizzlies (5-6) Saturday, and the Oklahoma City Thunder (5-6) Sunday.
Grizzlies’ 2019 Rookie of the Year Ja Morant has been sidelined since Dec. 28 (left ankle sprain), and was upgraded to questionable for the team’s Friday matchup with Minnesota, before being ruled out pregame.
Prior to injury, Morant led the team in scoring (26.3 ppg) and sharing (6.3 apg), including a 44-point performance on Dec. 23 against San Antonio.
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