Sixers Notes: Injuries, Nance, Athletics, Arena

In addition to being without Joel Embiid, Kyle Lowryand Andre Drummondas we told earlier, the Sixes has also ruled out Paul George (pain in the right ankle), Tyrese Maxey (left hand sprain), and Caleb Martin (right groin soreness) for Tuesday’s game against Oklahoma City, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter links).

On the plus side, Drummond and KJ Martinwho has been out since Dec. 23 with a left foot stress reaction, has resumed work on the field, notes Pompey (via Twitter). Drummond and Embiid are considered day-to-day, while KJ Martin’s return timeline is TBD.

A total of eight players are unavailable against the Thunder, so the Sixers will roll with a skeleton team that includes a starting lineup of Reggie Jackson, Eric Gordon, Ricky Council, Kelly Oubreand Guerschon Yabusele, tweets Pompey. It’s the first end of a back-to-back set for Philadelphia, so the team hopes to be a little more complete Wednesday vs. New York.

Here’s more on the 76ers:

• After giving up Pete Nance last Tuesday, the Sixers spent the week exploring the free agent market and considering other options for their open two-way slot, reports Pompey ( Twitter link ). But given Embiid and Drummond’s injuries, the club ultimately decided a big man was its biggest need, which is why Nance was re-signed to a new two-way deal earlier today.
• Inside his takeaways from Sunday’s loss to Orlando, Pompey writes that the veteran Sixers couldn’t keep up with the more youthful Magic, suggesting Philadelphia’s roster could benefit from an influx of athleticism.
• In an in-depth story for The Inquirer, Sean Collins Walsh and Alex Coffey take a closer look at how the Sixers and Comcast Spectacor reached an agreement to keep the team in South Philadelphia, including the role of NBA commissioner Adam Silver played in thawing an icy relationship between the two sides.