76ers, Knicks try to find wins without star players

While the All-Star break came at an opportune time, the Philadelphia 76ers will still be without reigning Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid to begin the season's second half.

Embiid's return from surgery on the lateral meniscus in his left knee remains unclear.

This much is known: Embiid will be out when the Sixers host the New York Knicks on Thursday.

Aside from Embiid, the Sixers had been playing with a number of other injured players such as De'Anthony Melton (back), Robert Covington (knee), Nicolas Batum (hamstring) and Tobias Harris (hip).

Before the break, Harris and Batum appeared to be close to returning. Harris wasn't listed on Wednesday's injury report while Batum is questionable.

The Sixers could also receive a potential lift from recently signed Kyle Lowry, who had been working on his conditioning.

Tyrese Maxey, who scored 10 points in his first All-Star Game appearance, will be rested and ready after the celebratory weekend in Indianapolis.

"I'm just thankful for being along for this ride," Maxey said. "Hopefully, we'll be here a lot more often."

The Sixers will continue to rely on Maxey, Harris, Buddy Hield, Cam Payne and young players such as Ricky Council IV and Terquavion Smith. That's all the Sixers can do until they feature a full squad.

"The fight is different," Maxey said. "There's no laying down. There's no just giving up saying, 'Oh, we don't have Joel. We don't have (Melton). We don't have Tobias.' There's none of that."

The Sixers may also have forward Darius Bazley available on a 10-day contract if the reported signing comes to fruition. Bazley had been competing with the Delaware Blue Coats, the Sixers' affiliate in the G League.

The Knicks also needed the All-Star break to recover from four straight losses. New York fell to the Dallas Mavericks, Indiana Pacers, Houston Rockets and Orlando Magic, 118-100.

Like the Sixers, the Knicks remain banged up without Julius Randle (shoulder), OG Anunoby (elbow), Mitchell Robinson (ankle), Isaiah Hartenstein (Achilles), Donte DiVincenzo (hamstring) and Bojan Bogdanovic (calf).

Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said that he's optimistic Hartenstein, DiVincenzo and Bogdanovic will be cleared to play against the Sixers. The trio all practiced the past two days.

"Yeah, I'm basing that on practice, but we'll see how they feel," Thibodeau said. "They were here over the break. And all three practiced so we'll see how they respond."

The Knicks, however, will have Jalen Brunson in the lineup in the aftermath of his first All-Star Game appearance. Brunson scored 12 points in 17 minutes.

"Since I was a kid, I've always had the mindset of working to be the best player I can be at all facets of my game, but understanding the role I'm in is more important," said Brunson, a second-round draft choice out of Villanova and now in his sixth NBA season. "So obviously you work on things and you put it in your back pocket to wait until you actually need to use it. But I think growing up and learning what role I'm in to help the team win is most important."

Brunson is averaging a career-best 27.6 points along with 6.5 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game. He's shooting 48.3 percent from the field, including 41.1 percent from 3-point range.

--Field Level Media