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At 10:00 PM EDT, the Sixers will take on the Chicago Bulls in the second round of the summer league playoffs. NBA TV will have a delayed screening at 1:30 AM, while the summer league live site and ESPN3 will stream the game as it occurs. Team PR listed all of Nerlens Noel, K.J. McDaniels, and Jordan McRae as game-time decisions early in the day. All have suffered lower leg injuries during summer league, which is to say, summer league probably needs to end soon.
This will be the fourth consecutive day of 76ers basketball, coinciding with the four days that I've been in Las Vegas. While some players have been able to rest - most notably Noel, McDaniels, and Casper Ware - others have played in all three games. Scottie Wilbekin, Brandon Davies, Sean Kilpatrick, and Drew Gordon have not been able to rest, and all four had moments last night that made it seem that they could use a break.
For instance, Wilbekin's jumper, even in warm ups, came up consistently short and off to the right. Davies and Gordon struggled to get up and down the floor all night. Kilpatrick's playing time has been more hit-or-miss, so he seemed fresher than the rest. Still, they will likely all play for the fourth consecutive day, and the game won't be productive for any of them. They certainly won't be 100%, and they certainly have more to lose than to gain.
The Bulls had a day off yesterday and probably should win regardless, given the team's domination of the Las Vegas Summer League. Chicago has not lost a quarter, let alone a game. Tony Snell and Doug McDermott have been arguably the two best wing players in the tournament - in a league where no one can consistently hit shots, those two have been. Given a day of rest, they should be ready to pounce and move on. Here's hoping the Summer Sixers, at the least, give them their toughest test yet.
Despite the general uselessness of these extra games, we'll be on hand for coverage regardless of whether or not the big names show up. Jake Fischer and I will be at the arena, and I've created a list of Twitter people to follow for tonight's game. Follow along for all the happenings from the arena, along with whatever Joel Embiid will tweet next.
Tweets from https://twitter.com/soconnor76/lists/sixers-bulls-lvsl