The Sixers on Sunday night listed both of their usual starting forwards as questionable for the team’s matchup Monday with the Pacers.
Tobias Harris (left calf contusion) and P.J. Tucker (back spasms) both exited the Sixers’ comeback win Saturday night over the Bucks and did not return.
Sixers head coach Doc Rivers told reporters in Milwaukee that he had “no idea” whether those injuries would sideline Harris and Tucker against Indiana.
De’Anthony Melton started the second half in Harris’ place, though Georges Niang and Jalen McDaniels were ultimately the two players in the team’s closing lineup next to James Harden, Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid. The Sixers were excellent across the board in the fourth quarter, and Niang and McDaniels combined to score 17 of their 48 points in the final period.
Tucker and Harris have aimed to be reliable presences with high-effort, team-centric attitudes. The 37-year-old Tucker’s 61 games played (all starts) lead the 41-22 Sixers. Harris has missed just four games this season.
“He’s a pro’s pro,” Maxey said in November of Harris. “I learned a lot from him my rookie year. He kept me sane, because I wasn’t playing that much and that’s hard for anybody. He was somebody that I really leaned on in the locker room. Shout out to Mike Scott, as well — he was another person.
“But he’s just solid. He’s just solid. He’s always in the right headspace. He always says he keeps his vibrations flowing, which he does. And we need that. We just appreciate him. He goes out there every single night and does what the coaching staff asks him to do, and he does it well.”
Monday night’s game will cap a back-to-back for the 29-36 Pacers, who picked up a dramatic victory Sunday over the Bulls. First-time All-Star Tyrese Haliburton hit a game-winning three-pointer in Chicago and posted 29 points and 11 assists.
After facing Indiana, the Sixers will end a five-game road trip against the Timberwolves.