Dean Wade and Tacko Fall were both upgraded to day-to-day, and both are projected back for Saturday against Milwaukee. The Sixers are 2-0 and first in the East, but their reserves gave them 7 points in the 114-106 win over Cleveland.
Will Wade and Fall play Saturday against the Bucks?
Both are day-to-day, Wade with a left ankle injury and Fall with a left quadriceps injury, and both have a projected return of October 24, which is the Bucks game. Wade's status has changed back and forth all week, and the Sixers ruled him out of Cleveland on game day. Believe it when he checks in. Fall, now on a two-way deal according to Shams Charania, adds size this rotation is missing.
How worried should anyone be about a bench that scored 7?
Worried enough. The starters scored 105 of the 114. Anfernee Simons went 0-for-4, all of them threes, and was -24 in 17 minutes. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope took one shot in 25 minutes. Adem Bona was -10 in 14. Simons shot 38.5 percent from three last season, so the shots should start falling. The minutes problem won't fix itself.
Can the stars handle a back-to-back this weekend?
Milwaukee is Saturday and Detroit is Sunday, and then Indiana on October 28. Maxey played 42 minutes against Cleveland and Brown played 38. LeBron James is 41 and played 33 minutes with 10 rebounds and 5 turnovers. Embiid played 34 after appearing in only 38 games last season. With Barlow out until about November 2, Nick Nurse has very little room to rest anyone.
Is Embiid really a fourth option?
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Charles Barkley called him one on the broadcast. The box score disagrees: 24 points on 8-of-16 shooting, 7-of-9 at the line, +18 in 34 minutes, and 9 points in the fourth quarter. Brown scored 10 in that quarter and Maxey 8. On this roster the top scorer will change from night to night. Who plays the minutes matters more than who takes the most shots.
When do the Sixers play next?
Saturday, October 24, at home against the Milwaukee Bucks on NBA TV. They host the Detroit Pistons the next day.
Is Dean Wade playing against the Bucks?
He is day-to-day with a left ankle injury and is projected to return October 24, the night of the Bucks game. He was also ruled out on game day before Cleveland, so his status could change.
