Sprain and soreness.
Those two words were uttered Tuesday night to describe the condition of the 76ers. They could also describe the reaction of the team’s fans at the Wells Fargo Center.
As the injuries and losses mount, the fan base is developing a wounded allegiance to the team unable to play with a healthy roster.
In the hour before tipoff against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night, the Sixers announced that Tyrese Maxey (sprained left hand), Paul George (right ankle soreness), and Caleb Martin (right groin soreness) would miss the game because of injuries.
The trio became the sixth, seventh, and eighth players to not suit up for what under normal circumstances would have been an important game.
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Tuesday’s game became a loss that was widely expected. The Thunder’s 118-102 victory was thus defined by the symptoms that have decelerated the mission.
Oklahoma City’s All-NBA guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored an effortless 32 points on an efficient 12-for-15 shooting. Meanwhile, Sixers two-way player Justin Edwards finished with a career-high 25 points while making four three-pointers.
But the former Imhotep Charter standout’s effort didn’t erase the two words that have placed what was supposed to be championship-or-bust season on a tightrope: sprain and soreness.
The Sixers (15-23) have lost three straight and six of their last eight games. And things won’t get any easier for the Eastern Conference’s 11th-place team in the foreseeable future. They entertain the New York Knicks on Wednesday (7 p.m., ESPN). New York sits in third place in the conference standings.
The Sixers’ games against the Thunder (33-6) and Knicks (26-15) start a stretch in which 14 of 15 games are against opponents that currently have winning records.
A top-six playoff seed could be out of the question if the Sixers crumble over the next couple of weeks. If the Sixers lose in the play-in tournament round or fail to qualify for it, this will go down as one of the most disappointing seasons in team history.
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The Sixers were a shell of themselves due to sprains, soreness and other ailments.
In addition to Maxey, George, and Martin, the Sixers were without Joel Embiid (sprained left foot), Andre Drummond (sprained left toe), Kyle Lowry (sprained right hip), KJ Martin (left foot stress reaction), and Jared McCain (left knee surgery).
Kelly Oubre Jr. was the only normal starter who played against the Thunder. He was joined by Ricky Council IV, Guerschon Yabusele, Eric Gordon, and Reggie Jackson.
The Sixers only had nine available players. They were so depleted that two-way player Pete Nance, who the Sixers re-signed Tuesday, saw first-half action. Unhappy with the star players being sidelined, the Sixers fans loudly booed the injury report before the start of the game. They would boo the home team several times during the game.
Embiid and Drummond are listed as day to day. KJ Martin and Lowry will remain sidelined, while McCain will miss the remainder of the season.
Did Maxey, George, and Martin miss Tuesday’s game with the intent of playing Wednesday vs. the Knicks?
“Listen, I kind of always play who’s available, right?” coach Nick Nurse. “And I was told that by the time the game started, those three guys were out, and so they weren’t available.”
Does Nurse expect them to play against the Knicks?
“I don’t have an update for tomorrow,” he said.
» READ MORE: Sixers will face a tough one-two punch against the Thunder and Knicks
But Nurse said his reaction to their not playing Tuesday was the same as it has been to dealing with injuries all season.
“You take a little bit of a gut punch, and then you regroup and figure out the starting lineups,” he said. “You figure out the rotations and you figure out what needs to change on the game plan as quick as possible and then go play.”
The Thunder led, 37-21, after one quarter. The Sixers made just 8 of 22 shots — including going 3 of 11 on three-pointers. They also turned the ball over seven times and trailed by as many as 21 points.
The Sixers, however, kept battling. They even pulled within four points (91-87) after Gordon’s three-pointer with 9 minutes, 54 seconds remaining. But the Thunder responded with a 20-5 run to put the game away.