Following Joel Embiid’s career-high 49 points against the Hawks on Monday, he suffered a left shoulder injury in Wednesday’s loss to the Cavaliers. With Ben Simmons currently sidelined due to a back injury, the Sixers had to play without their two superstars. Without Embiid and Simmons, the other Sixers have had to step up to fill their dominant roles, as they did against the Knicks on Thursday.
How has the current starting Five adjusted?
Tobias Harris and Josh Richardson have remained in their spots, while Shake Milton and Al Horford have remained the “go-to’s” to fill in for Embiid and Simmons. On Thursday, Glenn Robinson III returned to the starting lineup after discussing his role on the team with Coach Brown.
Harris dominated on Thursday and led the Sixers past the Knicks, 115-106. He scored the Sixers’ first nine points with 23 at halftime. He shot 14-21 overall and led the team with 34 points.
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Shake Milton continued to show his improvement and played dominantly. He finished with 19 points and was 5-5 from 3-point range. Similarly, Horford stepped up his game, leading the team with nine assists. He totaled 15 points, had seven rebounds, and went 4-4 from deep.
What happened off the bench?
Every player off the bench asserted their aggression on the home court. Furkan Korkmaz remained clutch when needed, as he finished with 11 points and two assists. Alec Burks filled the stat-sheet with seven points, four rebounds and two assists. Mike Scott finished +17, even while totaling just five points. Matisse Thybulle finally received some action as he played great defense while staying out of foul trouble. He contributed six points, one assist and one rebound.
Kyle O’Quinn did not take his opportunity to step up lightly. He had six rebounds in his first eight minutes of play. He finished with three points, 10 rebounds and one assist.
What’s next?
The Sixers will enter March in a tough situation: a four-game West Coast road trip with games against the Clippers and Lakers without Simmons and Embiid. Although that scenario does not sound reassuring, all hope is not lost. If they can manage to split these upcoming games, they may find themselves in a better situation, as our two stars will soon have their injuries re-evaluated.
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