Eight 76ers — including Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown and LeBron James — carry the same estimated return date of October 16, the night Boston comes back to Philadelphia for a preseason rematch of Saturday's 144-106 loss. That leaves six days to turn eight rest tags into an actual lineup before the regular-season opener at the Knicks on October 20.
Does Saturday's 38-point loss at Boston actually matter?
Barely. Embiid, Brown and James all carried a rest tag that night, so Boston's regulars ran over Philadelphia's ninth through fifteenth men, 144-106. VJ Edgecombe still scored 19 on 6-of-11 shooting with four steals, Jabari Walker added 14, and Labaron Philon had 14 points and seven assists off the bench. Boston led by 45; Philadelphia's biggest lead was 8, in the first quarter.
Why were Embiid, Brown and James all held out at once?
No reason beyond a rest tag was given for any of them. Philadelphia had just one day off beforehand, in the middle of two straight games away from home. Caldwell-Pope carried the same tag, four days after being cleared from his own rest-related absence — four rotation players held out for one preseason game.
What did Tyrese Maxey's 2-for-10 night say about the offense without his stars?
Not much by itself — one preseason line without Embiid, Brown or James drawing defenders is a small sample. Maxey scored 8 points on 2-of-10 shooting (1-of-6 from three) with 3 rebounds and 4 assists in 18 minutes, finishing a minus-14 in a game Boston led by as much as 45 points.
What actually changes on October 16?
The Celtics come back to Philadelphia for the rematch, and eight players — Embiid, Brown, James, Caldwell-Pope, Anfernee Simons, Dominick Barlow, Adem Bona and Tacko Fall — all carry that date as their estimated return. It is also six days before the regular-season opener at the Knicks, the last real look at this roster before games start counting.
Why didn't Embiid, Brown and James play against the Celtics on October 10?
All three carried a rest-related tag for that game, as did guard Caldwell-Pope. No further reason was given.
When do the 76ers play the Celtics again?
October 16, in Philadelphia, in a preseason rematch of the 144-106 loss on October 10. The regular-season opener follows four days later, October 20 at the Knicks.
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