Sixers Rule Out Paul Millsap vs. Chicago Bulls

The Philadelphia 76ers are coming off a rough showing against the Miami Heat on Saturday night. Heading into the second game of their back-to-back this weekend, the Sixers lost a key member of their starting lineup as James Harden was ruled out as a rest night was part of his recovery plan for his injured hamstring.

Fortunately for Philadelphia, Harden will be back in the mix on Monday night when they face the Chicago Bulls. However, they won’t be fully healthy. On Monday afternoon, the Sixers added their veteran reserve Paul Millsap on the injury report. Per the report, Millsap will miss the matchup due to personal reasons. 

With Millsap out of the lineup, the Sixers might have to utilize several players behind their starting center Joel Embiid. Typically, Millsap picks up most off the bench minutes at the center position, if not all. On Monday, Doc Rivers will have to switch it up.

In addition to Millsap, the Sixers aren’t planning to have the rookie center Charles Bassey around as he’s been assigned to the team’s G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats. With Bassey and Millsap out of the mix, the Sixers could rely on the second-year veteran Paul Reed and newly signed veteran DeAndre Jordan.

Jordan, who signed with the team late last week, joined the Sixers on their road trip in Miami. Although he was healthy and available to play, he didn’t make his Sixers debut just yet. As for Reed, he’s appeared in 27 games for the Sixers this season. 

The last time Reed’s seen significant playing time was on February 15 against the Boston Celtics, when he checked in for over 15 minutes. Perhaps, Reed will see some more playing time on Monday against the Bulls. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.