Injuries and illness have hampered the Philadelphia 76ers through the first 10 games, although their most important player is on the mend.
Joel Embiid, who has been sidelined with a non-COVID illness for three straight games, is close to a return as the Sixers get set to play host the Phoenix Suns on Monday.
Fellow Philadelphia star James Harden is out for at least one month with a strained tendon in his foot.
For the Sixers to rebound after a 4-6 start, Embiid’s return is vital.
Embiid already was recovering from plantar fasciitis and looked sluggish when the season started.
The Sixers’ Tobias Harris elevated his play and finished with 23 points and nine rebounds against the Knicks.
Without Harden and possibly Embiid, players like Harris and Tyrese Maxey (31 points) will be counted on to produce even more.
The Suns will look to maintain their positive momentum following a 102-82 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday.
Devin Booker scored 24 points and Chris Paul added 15 for the Suns, who won handily without Cameron Johnson (right knee) and Cameron Payne (left foot).
The Suns announced Sunday that Johnson has a torn meniscus and will undergo surgery. They didn’t announce a timetable for his return.
Johnson was a finalist for the Sixth Man of the Year award a season ago.
The Suns’ depth is as good as any team in the league, which will help ease the transition.
All 12 players scored against Portland.
Expect Torrey Craig to log more minutes for Phoenix. He had five points, five rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots in an active 22 minutes against Portland.
