THE Philadelphia 76ers won’t have much time to dwell on Tuesday’s 112-107 loss to the Brooklyn Nets in New York.
Less than 24 hours later, the Sixers will be back home to face the depleted Memphis Grizzlies Wednesday.
Kelly Oubre Jr. led five Philadelphia players in double figures with 30 points in Brooklyn. Tobias Harris scored 18 points, Cameron Payne added 15, Kyle Lowry contributed 14 and Buddy Hield scored 13. Payne had been questionable due to illness.
The 76ers appeared to be headed for their third straight victory before being outscored 32-24 in the fourth quarter.
“We made some not-so-smart plays,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said. “We played pretty well. We just didn’t play well enough to win.”
The shorthanded Sixers are expected to be without Tyrese Maxey, who is dealing with a concussion. Joel Embiid (knee), De’Anthony Melton (back) and Robert Covington (knee) remain sidelined.
Although Maxey played the entire fourth quarter in Philadelphia’s victory Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks, he was held in check against the Nets.
“It was a late mild concussion,” the nurse said. “I’m not a doctor, but that’s what they told me. I guess they didn’t really see the symptoms right away, and then he wakes up the next day and they’re there.”
With Maxey in the league’s concussion protocol, there is no exact timetable for his return.
“My guess is he will be out (against the Grizzlies),” Nurse said. “We’re not rushing. These kinds of things, you can’t rush, you don’t rush. Either way, he has to go through all the steps to get back to playing.”
Maxey was named an All-Star this season for the first time in his career.
The Grizzlies will arrive in Philadelphia after a 106-102 victory over the Nets on Monday. It was a rare victory for a team plagued by injuries.
Memphis remains without Ja Morant (shoulder), Marcus Smart (finger), Desmond Bane (ankle), Derrick Rose (back) and Brandon Clarke (Achilles), while Ziaire Williams (wrist) and Yuta Watanabe (back) will miss their second and third consecutive game, respectively.
On the plus side, Jaren Jackson Jr. (quad) was listed as questionable to face the Sixers.
Luke Kennard led the Grizzlies with 25 points and six 3-pointers, a season-best total against the Nets. Jake LaRavia added 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Lamar Stevens had 13 points.
Kennard added seven assists and stabilized the offense. With only nine players available, the Grizzlies needed his production.
“It feels really good to have a game like that and also get a win,” Kennard said. “We’ve struggled the last five or six games here. We’ve got some young guys. We just continue to try to be a leader for them and make the right plays.
“It was really nice to knock down some shots too.”
Memphis’ Taylor Jenkins earned his 200th career victory, joining Lionel Hollins as the only coaches in franchise history to reach the milestone. Hollins accumulated 214 career wins with the team from 2008-09 to 2012-13.
–Field level media
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