Tobias Harris Takes it Personal When Sixers are Doubted Without Embiid, Simmons
Oftentimes this season, the Philadelphia 76ers have had to play without one or two of their key stars in Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. On Saturday night, it was one of those situations for the Sixers as they faced the Sacramento Kings.
As expected, Embiid missed the matchup with a bruised knee. On a more surprising note, Ben Simmons was ruled out an hour before tip-off as he's dealing with knee soreness. Although teams might typically fall apart when they're missing two of their All-Stars, Sixers veteran forward Tobias Harris refuses to allow his team to go down without a fight as long as he's healthy and on the floor.
"It's about our mentality, energy, and our focus," Harris explained on Saturday night. "Are we willing to fall into the distraction of, 'Hey, we don't have our top dogs?' Or are we willing to embrace it?
"For myself, I take that stuff personally when people believe that we can't win without those guys because I know how much talent we have as a group, and I know how well we play when everybody is solid and healthy, and I know how well we play together as a team because we have a culture and a system that works."
Despite missing three out of five starters on Saturday, the 76ers didn't miss a beat. Right out of the gate, they put up 42 points in the first quarter and packed on another 31 in the second quarter, heading into halftime with a 21-point lead while shorthanded.
By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the Sixers could start clearing their bench before notching a 129-105 victory over Sacramento. Harris, who came into the game ready to fill the void of missing stars, surely didn't disappoint. In 30 minutes of action, Harris knocked down 12 of his 18 shots for 29 points. He also had 11 rebounds and fell just two assists short of picking up a triple-double.
"When we trust and do what's asked of us, we're a hell of a team," Harris continued. "Just following up with that and the energy of the game is key for us to be successful when anything happens. This is a weird season -- you have to be willing to adapt to some of the roadblocks through the season."
It's not always pretty when the 76ers are missing some of their key players, but lately, they've adjusted well. Since the second half of the season started, Philly hasn't had Joel Embiid for five out of six games. Saturday night marked the third time in six games Simmons wasn't available. Fortunately for the Sixers, they're 5-1 through that stretch as they head into New York for their next game on Sunday.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.
