Over the past few games, the Philadelphia 76ers have slowly managed to work their way back to full health. After nearly three weeks of playing with a depleted roster, Doc Rivers finally had his full rotation at his disposal against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday. Every player was needed as the two teams clashed in a double-overtime thriller that saw Minnesota walking out with a one-point win. While the Sixers suffered a tough loss, getting Embiid and Harris back was a legitimate silver lining to the game.
Saturday was the first time Embiid played in a game since entering health and safety protocols earlier this month, but you could not tell based on his play. The All-Star center wasted little time making his presence known and left his mark all over the matchup. Embiid ended the night with a game-high 42 points to go along with 14 rebounds, three assists, one steal, and two blocks.
Tobias Harris also made his return to action after dealing with a hip injury. Despite a slow start, he managed to turn in a solid performance when all was said and done. In 45 minutes of action, Harris was the Sixers' second-leading scorer with 17 points, and he also tallied nine rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
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After the game, both players spoke to the media and addressed how they felt after the grueling matchup. First up was Harris, who said he felt good even with his big workload.
“[My] hip is better. I felt good out there today in the time and minutes, 45, so I felt good. Hopefully I feel well tomorrow as well. It's been a little bit of a process on the road of trying to see where I was at. I was grateful and glad I was able to get out there and play today and give it a go,” said Harris.
Later on, Embiid did not hold back when opening up about how hard COVID hit him. While the road to get back on the floor was a long one, the Sixers star was thankful to be back on the court with his teammates.
“It hasn't been good. That jawn hit me hard, I really thought I wasn't going to make it. It was that bad, so I'm just thankful to be sitting here. I struggled with it, but I'm just glad I got over it. I'm just here doing what I love with some good people,” Embiid said Saturday.
Hearing how hard Embiid's time was these past few weeks makes his performance Saturday even more impressive. Playing over 45 minutes at such a high level is no small task, especially when factoring in all the time missed. As far as returns go, Saturday was near picture-perfect for the Sixers' franchise cornerstone.
If the Sixers want to get their season back on track, they will need Embiid and Harris at their best. Philly is just 10-10 on the season thanks to the litany of health issues and the ongoing Ben Simmons saga, but the team looked very strong when Embiid was playing. Even though Saturday night resulted in a loss, expect the wins to start piling up again soon for Philly. Embiid and Harris seem ready to resume their duties as leaders of this team on and off the floor.
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