Embiid, Maxey, LeBron All Cleared as Sixers Visit Brooklyn

0:04The host: Three names, cleared since yesterday — Maxey, Embiid, LeBron. All three sat Monday against the Knicks. Tonight at Brooklyn, all three are green.

0:14The analyst: Cleared isn't the same as minutes. Nurse hasn't said how long any of them actually play in a preseason game on the road.

0:20The host: Fair. But after Love and Brown carried this team to a 120-97 win Monday, the real question tonight is whether we finally see the starting five.

0:30The analyst: Even a half of it tells us more than anything we've got so far this camp.

0:34The host: Who's standing across from them tonight — what's Brooklyn actually look like?

0:39The analyst: 20 and 62 last year under Jordi Fernandez. Defensive rating of 118.2, bottom of the league. Embiid at center against that is the matchup.

0:48The analyst: They walked it too — pace of 97.6, one of the slowest in the league. We ran 100.4 last season. If tonight speeds up, that leans our way.

0:58The host: Careful. We're both 0-0 this year. One preseason result doesn't prove pace, or defense, or much of anything yet.

1:06The host: Still, they've got Randle averaging 21.1 last season, Porter at 24.2. Not a roster to sleep on.

1:14The analyst: Porter's day-to-day with a wrist tonight. If he sits, that offense runs through Dëmin and Traore instead of him.

1:21The host: Who do we actually have active on our side?

1:24The analyst: Past the big three, it's thin. Simons, Bona and Barlow are all day-to-day, same issues they've carried through camp. Hukporti's out — achilles, done until next October.

1:35The analyst: Fall's the one still unsettled — hip and torso, left side. Went from out to day-to-day, not fully cleared yet.

1:41The host: Caldwell-Pope's been clear since the start of the month, though. Wing depth's fine. It's the frontcourt and backup guards that are thin.

1:48The analyst: Right. The real exposure is size — Hukporti's out, Bona's probable at best, and there's nobody proven behind Embiid if he needs an early rest.

1:59The host: Bona specifically — we said we'd watch for an actual answer on that foot.

2:04The analyst: Now there's one. Still day-to-day, but the file's got an estimated return of October 16th — first real date on that since September 17th.

2:13The host: And Love's 15 off the bench Monday matters more now, with Lowry, Beauchamp and Martin all gone and nobody replacing that guard depth yet.

2:23The analyst: Which is exactly why tonight's backups matter as much as the stars being back.

2:28The host: Give me the number that matters tonight.

2:30The analyst: 118.2. Brooklyn's defensive rating for all of last season, under Fernandez. Worst-level numbers — but it's one season, and preseason doesn't test a defense for real. Don't crown Embiid off one night.

2:48The host: Even against that, I like our frontcourt tonight.

2:51The analyst: Ask me again after we see how many minutes Nurse actually gives him.

2:54The analyst: For what it's worth, our net rating last season was minus 0.1. Theirs was minus 10. Real gap, even if neither record means much in October.

3:03The host: So no excuse if Brooklyn hangs around late tonight.

3:06The host: Monday's still the only tape we've got. 120-97 over the Knicks, without Embiid, Maxey or LeBron anywhere near the floor.

3:15The analyst: Brown led with 22, Love had 15 off the bench. That's the roster we've actually watched win.

3:21The host: Two days' rest since then, no back-to-back — this is the one true road night on the stretch.

3:27The analyst: Brooklyn's on one day's rest, at home, and doesn't play again for four days. Tonight counts for more on their calendar than ours.

3:34The host: Ball's up in two hours, on the road at Brooklyn. Two more preseason games after this, then the one that counts, October 20th at the Garden.

3:42The analyst: Then two days to Boston, the same Celtics again on the 16th, then it's real.

3:47The host: One thing to watch tonight — how long Nurse keeps Embiid, Maxey and LeBron on the floor together before he pulls them. We'll have it up on the 76ers page on Hoops Nightly right after the horn.

3:59The analyst: And watch October 16th. Four guys — Simons, Fall, Barlow and Bona — are all pointed at that same return date. See how many of them actually suit up.