The snake-bitten 76ers take their show on the road to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies Tuesday night.
Despite having a roster of 20 for the preseason, Philadelphia only had 12 available players for their loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers Saturday night. They’ll likely be without most of those players once again.
Jerryd Bayless (left wrist soreness) and Nerlens Noel (left groin strain) did not practice at all on Monday. Bayless may not even be ready for the start of the regular season, but there’s no word on the severity of Noel’s injury. Jahlil Okafor (right knee rehab), Cat Barber (right wrist injury), and Nik Stauskas (hamstring) went through individual workouts, but did not participate in scrimmages. Unlike Bayless, Okafor is expected to be ready for the season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, it’s still a little disconcerting that he’s not on the floor for the team yet.
Last March the Sixers said Jahlil Okafor would resume full basketball activities in 6 weeks. It's been 30. https://t.co/PwR3vpQVaT
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) October 7, 2016
Although Dario Saric is healthy, head coach Brett Brown is likely to rest him against the Grizzlies. Saric looked fantastic in the first two preseason games, but shot just 1-7 against the Cavaliers. Joel Embiid will play as he continues to work himself back into game shape. The plan is to eventually increase his playing total to around 24 minutes per night, but he’ll stick to the 12-minute limit on Tuesday. His game against the Cavaliers was his most productive, chipping in 12 points, four rebounds and a block in the losing effort.
Memphis is 1-1 on the preseason, but they’ve been off since a 104-83 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Oct. 6.
Mike Conley (hip) did not play against Atlanta, and is reportedly still dealing with some tightness. He did practice for two hours on Saturday, so it seems likely to play in some capacity. First-round pick Wade Baldwin IV has been running the point in his absence.
In desperate need of some front court help, Memphis opted to swap out one former Sixer for another. The team opted to release guard Tony Wroten in favor of forward Vince Hunter, who played summer league with Philadelphia in 2015.
According to the Sixers schedule, the game will not be televised locally.
Game Info
Time: 8:00 p.m.
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic