Expect More Bench Minutes From 76ers Against Timberwolves

On Tuesday night, the Philadelphia 76ers went the distance against the Cleveland Cavaliers in their final match of the NBA's In-Season Tournament, with the game going into overtime.

Given the extra playing time, several of the Sixers' starters had season-high minutes, including Joel Embiid's 41 minutes, Tobias Harris' 42 minutes, and Tyrese Maxey's career-high 46 minutes

Usually, this wouldn't be an issue, however, as soon as they left the Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia boarded their plane to travel to the Target Center, where they are set to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night.

Discussing the issue of managing heavy minutes, Sixers' head coach Nick Nurse talked about the role of his bench for Wednesday night's match.

"Certainly going to need some of the guys that didn't start the game to get some run and extended run tomorrow..." said Nurse.

Against Cleveland, the Sixers' bench played a total of 66 minutes, with Patrick Beverly and Robert Covington leading the bunch.

Given this increased role for the match against Minnesota, Nurse feels that his bench's minutes will increase, potentially doubling in some aspects.

"This is the kind of game you need those guys to come out, and instead of having their little four, five, or six-minute stints, they might be into some nine, ten, eleven-minute stints tomorrow, so we're going to need them," explained Nurse.

An increased role from the bench on back-to-back nights isn't something entirely new for the Sixers' head coach, as he discussed it last week, stating that implementing new lineups, especially on back-to-back, isn't a horrible idea.

"You know, with a heavy schedule and all that kind of stuff, it might be a good idea to just try out different rotations on back-to-backs," said the head coach.

Joel Embiid’s Playing Status on Wednesday

With all of this being said, Paul Reed could be due for bigger minutes after only playing for nine minutes on Tuesday night, as Embiid was needed for the majority of the fourth quarter, resulting in his absence on Wednesday.

Jaden Springer is another name that could receive more playing time, as Nurse has been giving him more of an opportunity to play this season, averaging 12 minutes per match.