CAMDEN, NJ — The 2023-24 season hasn’t been easy for the Philadelphia 76ers. They’ve faced a lot of adversity as guys came in and out of the lineup and they’ve had to struggle without the services of Joel Embiid since January 29th.
On top of that, the Sixers have had to play without Tyrese Maxey lately, who missed Philadelphia’s previous three games with a concussion and is expected to miss another one Sunday against the New York Knicks. De’Anthony Melton and Robert Covington also missed significant time.
Buddy Hield, who was acquired at the deadline by the Indiana Pacers, has yet to play with Embiid and has played with a different group of teammates every night, with guys in and out of the lineup.
“You just have to find a way, man,” Hield said Saturday. “You have to figure it out and find a way.” You have to make a lot of sacrifices, play together and you have to understand that. The end goal is to get the W and no matter what – if someone has 40, someone has zero – figure out how to get the W. That’s all that matters. That’s the end goal, to try to win. Winning makes everything so much better here. We all know that.”
Along with the challenges of the moment, the Sixers are scheduled to begin a 3-game road trip on Sunday with two games against the Knicks on the road before heading to the Midwest to take on the Milwaukee Bucks. Hield and the Sixers should be inconsistent and look to get back on track as Philadelphia moves forward.
“Come ready to compete,” Hield said of the trip. “We have to be able to compete. We know we are going to the Garden. They’re going to be loud, they’re going to be ready to compete. They lost some too. We know what is at stake. In the standings, we are all bundled up. Milwaukee lost last night. We have a chance to close the gap, but we’ll see how the chips fall. Like I said, if we bring the same intensity every day that we had in the third and fourth quarter (against the Pelicans), I think we’ll be fine.
