The Philadelphia 76ers are 2-6 in the absence of Joel Embiid. The regular season MVP could not dress short in the last defeat against the Utah Jazz by 120-109 where Lauri Markkanen shone with 33 points.
The Finnish power forward completed a double-double with 13 rebounds, including 12/19 in field goals and 5/9 in triples.
«If we have Joel, we know what he is going to bring us. Without him, we have to find other ways and different guys to step up. Including myself to help win the games,” acknowledged Tyrese Maxey.
The aforementioned Maxey was Philly’s standout with 25 points and 9 assists; supported by his teammate Kelly Oubre Jr., who added 24 points to his credit.
Embiid was out after spraining his left knee in the last loss against the Knicks by a wide 128-92 despite his 30-10.
In addition to the Cameroonian center, the Sixers also lost his teammate Tobias Harris to injury, and De’Anthony Melton (spine) and Robert Covington (flu) were also unable to be present last night.
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“Although we are missing five teammates, they can do much better,” said Nick Nurse. «They can execute plays better. They can defend better. They can make those open shots. There were too many to write down,” the coach acknowledged.
Paul Reed, starter, contributed 16 points and 6 rebounds. For his part, twin Marcus Morris, who also started, contributed 15 points and 6 rebounds.
For Salt Lake City, Collin Sexton added another double-double for them with 22 points and 10 assists; John Collins scored 19 points, and reserve Jordan Clarkson finished with 18 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists.
«In general we were all doing the right thing. “It was a difficult game, but it says a lot about us when we came out so focused,” said Markkanen.
«In each possession we have been improving. I know we always talk and communicate with each other. It’s really the only way to win this league,” concluded Jordan Clarkson.
(Cover photo: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
2024-01-07 12:30:00
#Sixers #Embiid
