Getty 76ers forward Tobias Harris
The Sixers have picked the wrong time of year to submit to the injury bug. The team could be down two starters versus Atlanta.
With star point guard Ben Simmons already ruled out — and questions continuing to mount about his injured back — the Sixers have listed Tobias Harris questionable for Monday night’s showdown in South Philadelphia. The news is actually promising for Harris who was initially called doubtful, then upgraded to questionable.
According to Philly Voice‘s Kyle Neubeck, Harris will go through pre-game warmups to determine his availability. He’ll be a game-time decision. The Sixers swingman suffered a right knee contusion during Saturday’s disappointing loss to Milwaukee. The team also lost Simmons after the first quarter in a 119-98 defeat due to a recurring back injury.
Tobias Harris has been upgraded to questionable for tonight’s game and will go through pregame warmup to determine his availability
Look for expanded roles for both Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III now that the Sixers are down two major contributors. Simmons was averaging 16.7 points and 8.2 assists per game, while Harris has put up 18.9 points and six rebounds per game. Simmons was first injured during last Wednesday’s practice session.
“It was a play where he went up for a rebound and I looked over and he left the court, and went and got treatment,” head coach Brett Brown said, via NBC Sports Philadelphia. “And it has played out as it has played out. We don’t believe it’s anything too significant.”
After lower back injury on Saturday, Ben Simmons underwent initial evaluation in Philadelphia today and will undergo further testing tomorrow, league sources tell ESPN. He will be out for Monday’s game vs. Atlanta.
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Jayson Tatum Continues to Impress in Boston
Unfortunately, there are no re-dos in the NBA. The Sixers traded up with Boston to grab Markelle Fultz at No. 1 overall in the 2017 draft. Not only did their conference rivals select Jayson Tatum but they also netted a future first-round pick.
While the Fultz experiment was complicated and unsuccessful in Philadelphia, Tatum has morphed into a certifiable star. Mentored by Kobe Bryant, the Celtics forward poured in 41 points on Sunday night against the Lakers and has averaged 29.7 points per game in February.
He qualified for his first NBA All-Star game this season while averaging 22.9 points per game for the year. He dominated the Sixers on Feb. 1 in a 116-95 win by the Celtics with 25 points.
Tatum has added a whole new level of intrigue to one of the best rivalries in basketball. Especially with his “friendly’ trash-talking with Sixers big man Joel Embiid.
“I just kept reminding him [Embiid] that we almost swept them,” said Tatum in 2018, via NBC Sports Boston. “We should have swept them but we let them win one game.”
Tatum, of course, was referring to the Celtics’ 4-1 series win in the playoffs in 2018. Keep in mind, Philadelphia has won four of the last five contests in the series. The rivalry is back.
“Definitely some animosity,” said Tatum. “We won, so they are probably a little more fired up or angry than we are, but we’re excited to play. We had a lot of good matchups with them last year, a lot of great battles, especially in the playoffs.”
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