PHILADELPHIA — While Joel Embiid's meniscus injury may be the biggest issue at hand for the Philadelphia 76ers right now, the team is also dealing with health issues with the rest of its starters aside from Tyrese Maxey. Nick Nurse provided updates for Tobias Harris, Nico Batum and De'Anthony Melton as they try to return to the court.
The Brooklyn Nets blew Philly out in its first home game since Embiid went back down with the knee injury. Ricky Council IV, an undrafted rookie signed to a two-way deal, got real minutes as Nurse scrambled for lineups that helped the 76ers keep up. Philly was unable to keep up on either end without four of its starters and Tyrese Maxey was unable to save the day with a monster performance. Hopefully for him and Philly, help will be on the way.
Harris was not active in the loss to the Nets due to an illness. Nurse said this is a different illness than the one he had last week that caused him to miss two games. “Hopefully, that'll get better quick,” Nurse said.
Batum has now missed three consecutive games due to left hamstring tightness after previously missing games due to an issue with his other hamstring. Nurse said that he will be re-evaluated on Sunday.
Melton has played just two games since the New Year due to a back issue. He has been ruled out with a lumbar spine stress response and said previously that he would like to make his return on Monday when the 76ers host the Dallas Mavericks. Nurse said that Melton “has been on the court. I think he certainly will be on the court again tomorrow but I don't know how close he is yet. But he is out there doing workouts and moving pretty good.”
Nurse added that Paul Reed was feeling “a little under the weather” against the Nets, leading him to play just 15 minutes. The 76ers coach added that Robert Covington, who was previously ruled out for roughly a month, is still working his way back.
Nurse didn’t offer any specific updates to Embiid besides clarifying that the impact his knee took from Jonathan Kuminga in the loss to the Golden State Warriors sparked the initial concerns with his meniscus. He said that Embiid is in good spirits as he, the 76ers and medical personnel plan his treatment path.
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