After losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday, the Philadelphia 76ers will play the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night with little time to recover.
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse made some predictions about the lineup going into the game, including the possibility that the team’s star center would be missing. Joel Embiid thought he might sit out the game tonight because he’s been experiencing hip soreness, which had him listed as questionable for three of the previous five games.
The Sixers announced on Wednesday afternoon that Embiid would miss his first game of the season. The Sixers were visiting the Timberwolves, who have been stomping all over the Western Conference, so while the absence made sense given the short turnaround, the timing was bad. The Timberwolves entered their game against the Sixers with a conference-best 10-3 record.
The Sixers were aware that Wednesday night’s run through the Target Center wouldn’t be an easy one. After losing 112-99 despite putting up a strong fight through four quarters of play, the 76ers will enter the holiday season with a second consecutive defeat.
THE TAKEAWAYS
The first thing Marcus Morris did as a starter
The Sixers made the decision not to start a center in the starting lineup. However, there was nothing shocking about that choice. Marcus Morris became the third veteran player from the Clippers to start for the Sixers in the starting lineup since the trade was finalized when Nick Nurse made the decision to start him in the starting lineup.
Morris looked very rusty in his first seven games with the Sixers. Morris finished with an effective field goal percentage of 35 percent in 50 minutes. Morris had the chance to have a longer run on Wednesday in order to make a case for continuing in the rotation.
He had a difficult first shift. Morris scored two points and dished out one assist in three minutes. After less than four minutes, he was sent to the bench early due to two fouls. He finished as a minus-five in the lineup.
Morris performed much better in his role as an experienced defensive presence and took shots when they were available when he returned to the game in the second quarter. The Sixers played well in the second quarter, and he scored a three-pointer and disheveled an assist.
The third quarter completely erased a difficult start. Morris played for an additional five minutes, which was by far his best stretch as a Sixers player. Morris took six shots from the field and made four of them, two of which were from beyond the arc. With 11 points in the third quarter, he took the Sixers by storm.
Morris did not disappoint the head coach, despite the fact that many thought the decision to start him was puzzling. Morris finished the game with four rebounds, two assists, two blocks, one steal, and 16 points on 50% shooting.
TOBIAS HARRIS KEPT THE SIXERS FIGHTING
For a team that is playing the second night of a back-to-back on the road without their best player for the first time this season, the first quarter went exactly as one might have predicted. The Sixers were only able to shoot under 36% from the field thanks to the Timberwolves’ dominance on both ends of the court, who also forced seven turnovers that led to 13 points. In the first quarter, the Wolves outscored the Sixers by as many as 19 points, almost hanging 40 on them offensively.
Tobias Harris was the one who had to step up to give the Sixers a chance, and he did so in the second quarter. Harris was kept on the ground by Nick Nurse’s persistent rolling throughout the quarter. He scored nine points by making three field goals and three free throws. Harris added two assists and four boards to his total. Before the half, the Sixers outscored the Wolves by double digits thanks to the play of Anthony Melton and Devin Harris.
In the second quarter, Harris set the tone for the Sixers. He let his teammates know through a message that the unlucky events would not automatically translate into a scheduled loss. Although the effort was commendable, Philly’s weaknesses were fully exploited by the Timberwolves.
THE TIME THAT JADEN SPRINGER PLAYS IS IMPORTANT
Nick Nurse stated that low-minute players would see an increase in playing time with the back-to-back after Tuesday’s loss to Cleveland. That kind of scenario would undoubtedly help a player trying to lock down a spot in the starting lineup.
With more playing time last week, rookie guard Jaden Springer displayed glimpses of his potential. In the following three games, Springer averaged 20 minutes on the floor after missing out on the court in back-to-back games against the Indiana Pacers. Springer saw the court for just seven minutes against Cleveland. He only got to play for three minutes in Minnesota before the game went into garbage time.
While two-game sample sizes are not always reliable indicators, Springer doesn’t seem to be a lock for Philly’s rotation in late November.