Kelly Oubre Jr. of the 76ers plays against Washington on Nov. 6. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
PHILADELPHIA — It wasn’t until Nick Nurse was convinced otherwise that Kelly Oubre Jr. was hit by a fleeing car near Broad and Spruce streets Saturday evening, and the Sixer’s car crashed Saturday evening, among other complications. You would believe he had damaged his ribs.
“I’m going to believe in Kelly’s words and everything else, and I’m going to focus on this game and deal with what’s coming,” Nurse said before the game against the Boston Celtics.
Mr. Nurse may have been focused, but Mr. Oubre’s story is starting to blur. Police were unable to find any video evidence of the accident in the busy corner of the downtown area on Saturday night, according to at least several broadcast and print reports.
But there’s still no evidence that Oubre fabricated the story, which was enough for Nurse to field a player he expects to be back in the regular starting lineup within the next three weeks.
As reports began flying throughout the day Wednesday, Nurse could not confirm that he had discussed the situation with Oubre.
“I went to see him yesterday,” was all the coach said. “He’s fine. He was training on the (stationary) bike again today, so we’re just trying to get him back on the court as soon as possible.”
In response, a Sixers spokesperson interrupted the pregame press conference and said, “According to reports, there is no video evidence.” Asked whether Oubre had discussed the incident in detail with the organization, Nurse said: “As far as I know, yes.”
Questions about Oubre’s injury and how it happened were still anonymous speculation, so Nurse remained indifferent about it. But if the reported sources proved accurate, he pried open the back door.
“Well, if it gets to that point, that would be (a concern),” he said. “Listen, like I said, I’m going to take Kelly’s word for it. There’s no other conversation or comment to make right now. I’m focused on this game. Any more evidence or anything? Once it becomes apparent, we will address it until we find it.”
Similar to Tuesday’s loss to Indiana, Coach Nurse plans to start Robert Covington and add Furkan Korkmaz and Danuel Haus Jr. to the rotation to compensate for Oubre’s absence and Nicolas Batum. Addressed unrelated personal leave. However, Oubre’s issues are not likely to go away, and Nurse was questioned whether his injury situation could affect his contract. Oubre has a one-year contract with the Sixers worth $2.9 million. Through eight games, including five as a starter, he averaged 16.2 points.
“I don’t think it’s very fair to him to say he made up any stories,” Nurse said. “Not at all. I believe him at his word. He’s one of our players and we’re going to stand behind him. And so am I.”
reason?
“Because there’s no reason not to believe him,” said the nurse.
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Tobias Harris, who had a collision in Tuesday’s game against Indiana and required a concussion test, was cleared to start Wednesday.
“Tobias is a little sore and a little stiff from that collision, but he’s okay,” Nurse said. “He’s got toughness. He played last night with a little bit of a cold, but he wants to go out and play.”
Joel Embiid also gave the green light to participate, with his “questionable” status on the brand before the game. He was complaining of discomfort in his hip and, as usual, it was a mid-game decision.
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Batum missed his second consecutive game, complicating Nurse’s job with Oubre’s continued absence.
Nurse said Batum hopes to play in Atlanta on Friday night and will definitely play in Brooklyn against the Sixers on Sunday.
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De’Anthony Melton, who had been in a scoring slump, scored 30 points in Tuesday’s loss to the Pacers on 8-of-13 shooting, 4-of-6 from long range, and all 10 free throws. did.
“I’ve always been aggressive,” he said. “Joel did a great job of keeping all the big teams out of foul trouble. I was just attacking the rim because I knew the rim protection was so poor. I was just attacking the rim. And Joel said to me, “Just keep going, keep going.” ”
“We always trust him,” Embiid said. “The last thing we want from him is not to shoot it. Success or failure, he has to keep shooting.” No. You just have to keep believing in him.”
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The Celtics played without Kristaps Porzingis, who has a bruised right knee. Jaylen Brown also had an illness.