PHILADELPHIA – James Harden was about booed out of the arena each time he touched the ball, a sound of contempt not heard in Philly since — well, since Ben Simmons was razzed with much the same vocal voraciousness two nights earlier.
The 76ers turned back the clock — “way back,” the public address announcer noted — wearing uniforms Sunday night designed to pay homage to their old home, the Spectrum.
Their old players? Well, they hit Philly, too.
Simmons, a former No. 1 pick once deemed a franchise cornerstone, returned Friday night with Brooklyn while Harden, now banging 3s with the Los Angeles Clippers, had his unceremonious homecoming Sunday night.
Simmons and Harden each raised the promise of deep playoff runs — yes, even a championship — before their sensational starts with the Sixers disintegrated into toxic tenures full of ill will and, ultimately, a feeling of good riddance from all parties involved.
Simmons and his shooting woes; Harden and his contract demands; no matter the symptoms for seasonal dysfunction through the years, the headache still pounds in Philadelphia.
The malady these days, bad knees.
Joel Embiid and Paul George, who signed $405 million worth of contracts in the offseason, remained pinned to the bench with knee injuries. George, a left knee bone bruise. Embiid, swelling in his left knee.
Heck, even six-time All-Star Kyle Lowry (hip strain) sat out against the Clippers, left to watch the game wearing one of those goofy, oversized Philadelphia Eagles hats.
“It’s certainly not ideal and not that easy to manage,” coach Nick Nurse said. “But it is part of the game. Guys come and go all the time. There’s guys in and out, both sides of the ball. Again, I’m always disappointed for the player.”
The public address announcer ran down the injury report — “Joel Embiid, Paul George and Kyle Lowry are out” — to a muted response from 76ers fans. If these walls could shrug.
It’s easy for Sixers fans — and the front office — to wonder what could have been the franchise’s ceiling had Simmons or Harden stayed happy, healthy while they teamed with Embiid.
George was just the latest star expected to help Embiid chase the 76ers’ first championship since 1983. Yet, the early returns have been dismal. George has played in just eight of 16 games; Embiid only four.
The 76ers were 3-12 entering Sunday, winning the draft lottery a closer dream than winning a title.
So Nurse, in his second season, does what he can and trotted out a starting lineup that included Kelly Oubre Jr. and Guerschon Yabusele in front of a crowd dotted with empty seats.
The good news, Nurse said Embiid and George were both “progressing OK.” George, the nine-time All-Star, got in some work on the court on Saturday. Nurse said Embiid’s swelling was “looking better” ahead of more exams this week.
Embiid’s season was a disaster since training camp. The 30-year-old Embiid skipped the entire preseason, was suspended for scuffling with a columnist, and has fallen out of favor with fans that have tired of his will-he-or-won’t-he-play melodrama.
“As things go up and down, we’re all trying to keep things level,” Nurse said. “I think he has kept things pretty level. He’s been very communicative and seems to be OK. He understands that we’re trying to figure this out as we go here. He also understands the team’s not getting good results. So there is a lot to talk about.”
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue was an assistant coach on Team USA that won gold in Paris and declined to enter the fray over Embiid’s health at the Olympics.
“I don’t know if he was supposed to be healthy or not,” Lue said. “He helped us win a gold medal, it’s all I know.”
At least the Sixers announced Friday night that Embiid would miss the Clippers’ game, allowing fans to try and dump a pair of tickets on the secondary market for the price of a couple of coffeehouse chain drinks.
Of note, rookie Jared McCain has about been worth the price of admission on those discount ducats.
The Clippers, coming off a 4-0 homestand, played without Kawhi Leonard and other teams missing their All-Stars for reasons both fishy and fair are the norm around the league.
The 76ers have no choice — much as they have since Embiid was drafted in 2014 — but to find a way around the absences.
“Almost all the time,” Nurse said, “we need to try something.”
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