Struggling 76ers dealing with rash of injuries to key players

MILWAUKEE — The Philadelphia 76ers are dealing with injuries to several key players and it goes far beyond star center Joel Embiid, who has played in only 13 games this season and skipped the team’s current trip with swelling in his left knee.

Philadelphia had eight players listed on its injury report for Sunday night’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks. In Saturday night’s loss to the Indiana Pacers, the 76ers played without five crucial players — including Embiid, Paul George and Kyle Lowry — due to injuries, leaving Tyrese Maxey, the team’s leading scorer, to handle much of the load.

“It’s not just him,” Nurse said when asked about Embiid.

Nurse said the team found a “nice rhythm” when Embiid missed time in December. The 76ers went 9-3 last month, with Embiid sitting out five games and playing limited minutes in two others.

The difficult part lately, Nurse said, is dealing with injuries to multiple players. Among those is KJ Martin, who has been sidelined since Dec. 23 with a left foot injury.

“He’s a guy that on a night like tonight he’s one of our most physical defenders,” Nurse said. “Whenever there’s a big power forward that can take it to the rim, he’s a good matchup for those guys.”

For now, Nurse will have to continue to piece together a rotation.

“We’ll just figure it out day by day until we get some semblance of regular lineups,” Nurse said.

Bucks coach Doc Rivers said he knows the frustration that comes with having to put together a game plan without the oft-injured Embiid, having coached the star center during his three-season stint as the 76ers’ coach.

“You want him to be healthy. I’ve gone through it,” Rivers said. “It’s hard to win without your best player, or even when your best player plays and he’s not healthy. It’s just hard. I’ve lived that life.”

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