Getty P.J. Tucker and Tobias Harris of the Philadelphia 76ers
During the game between the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks, multiple players had to leave the game due to injury. First was Tobias Harris, who left after the first half due to a calf injury, as reported by Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Tobias Harris – left calf soreness – will NOT return. #Sixers
After Tucker subbed out at the 6:11 mark of the third quarter, Pompey then reported that Tucker, too, would not return due to back spasms.
Tucker will not return. He’s out with back spasms
After the game, Tucker and Sixers head coach Doc Rivers have updates on where Tucker and Harris stand health-wise.
Rivers did not sound optimistic that either would play the Sixers’ next game against the Indiana Pacers on March 6.
“I have no idea,” Rivers said, per Ky Carlin of SixersWire. “My guess, if I was a guessing man, yes, just watching them in the locker room, but we have 48 hours. So, you know, these guys are different.”
Tucker admitted that he’s been dealing with his back spasms for quite some time.
“I’ve been fighting back spasms the last two days, and today (Saturday) just went crazy,” Tucker said. “I couldn’t run. I couldn’t jump. So I just went to the back, try to get it better. I couldn’t get better.”
Tucker could not confirm nor deny whether he would play against the Pacers.
“We’ll see,” Tucker added. “We got a day between. Do all the treatment when I can and see what happens.”
Tobias Harris Sounds Off on Role Playing Next to Joel Embiid & James Harden
In an interview with Carlin, Harris got candid when talking about the role he plays for the Sixers this season, more specifically, playing next to Joel Embiid and James Harden.
“With the team that we have, the talent that we have, there’s just not that many—there’s less opportunities,” Harris said. “The ball is in James’ hands, Joel’s hands for the majority part of the game. So we got to figure out ways to find a rhythm, find a balance for me, personally. So sometimes that is just catch-and-shooting. That’s been an adjustment for me like I’ve said from the beginning, but it’s something I’m continuing to learn and game by game just continue to try to monitor and find out. Every game is a different opportunity for me to try to expand on it and grow with it, really.”
Harris’ catch-and-shoot frequency from three-point land has gone up over the past three seasons, having gone from 17.3% in the 2020-21 season to 23.5% in the 2021-22 season to 36.5% this season.
New Sixer Deemed Available Against Bucks
Sixers center Dewayne Dedmon was made available for the Sixers against the Bucks, as reported by Carlin.
Dewayne Dedmon has officially been made available for tonight’s matchup with the Bucks #Sixers
Before the game, Rivers told reporters beforehand that he didn’t if he would play him.
“I don’t even know yet,” Rivers said, per Carlin. “He did go through shootaround today (Saturday), but the game will dictate that. I don’t plan on playing him today, but that doesn’t mean he will not play today.”
Dedmon did not play a minute against the Bucks. However, he could see his first action in the Sixers’ upcoming game against the Pacers, factoring in that they may be shorthanded with Tucker and Harris potentially out with injuries.
The last time Dedmon played was on February 4, when his former team, the Miami Heat, took on the Bucks.