The Philadelphia 76ers head into their Wednesday road game against the Memphis Grizzlies looking to snap a four-game losing streak and improve on their 2-11 start to the season, which prompted a team meeting after their latest defeat.
The 76ers were unable to maintain a 19-point lead in a 106-89 road loss to the Miami Heat. This collapse led to a team meeting that delayed coach Nick Nurse’s postgame media conference by nearly an hour on Monday.
Several issues have contributed to the 76ers’ struggles.
Guard Tyrese Maxey has missed six consecutive games with a strained right hamstring and might return against Memphis. Nine-time All-Star Paul George has appeared in only seven of the team’s 13 games as he recovers from a left knee injury.
Joel Embiid, the 2023 NBA MVP, missed the first six games of the season due to knee injury management. He has played in only three games, averaging 14.7 points and 6.3 rebounds. Additionally,
ESPN reported that Maxey called out Embiid during the postgame meeting for chronic tardiness to team activities.
Maxey, George, and Embiid have not played together in a game this season. Despite these challenges, Nurse sees some positive signs, noting that the 76ers “generated some of the best shots we’ve had all year. … We got to the rim some (and) we were totally open for threes.” Unfortunately, those three-pointers didn’t fall against Miami.
Embiid finished with 11 points, eight rebounds, and five assists in 31 minutes against the Heat after being listed as questionable due to an illness. The 76ers are 0-3 in the games he has played.
Memphis is dealing with its own injury issues.
Two-time All-Star guard Ja Morant has missed the past six games with a right hip injury. Rookie big man Zach Edey tweaked his left ankle twice in a home win over the Nuggets on Sunday, then missed a game for the first time as a pro in the Tuesday rematch against Denver.
Marcus Smart missed both games against the Nuggets with an illness, and key reserve Vince Williams Jr. left Tuesday’s game with an ankle injury and did not return.
With these absences, the Grizzlies lost 122-110 on Tuesday and trailed by as many as 25 points in the second half.
Grizzlies reserve forward Santi Aldama tried his best to keep the depleted team in the game, tying his career high with 28 points in a fast-paced offense that the team is adjusting to, and also contributed 11 rebounds.
