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CAMDEN, N.J. -- With the Philadelphia 76ers set to close out their preseason schedule, head coach Nick Nurse has provided clarity on how he intends to utilize his starting unit in Friday night's home game versus the Boston Celtics. The projected starting lineup has seen limited collective action so far, having played together for only a half in the Oct. 8 contest against the Brooklyn Nets.
Notably, the team opted to rest LeBron James, Joel Embiid, and Jaylen Brown for the Oct. 10 exhibition in Boston against the Celtics. As the Sixers prepare for their final tune-up, Nurse shared his thoughts on managing the starters' workload.
"It always is a bit fluid and flexible, I think, because we would like to get the majority of them into the second half," Nurse explained during Thursday's practice. "I think it's now time to play, go into halftime, come back out and get ready to go again, just again to start what that feels like, and then it's probably fairly short after that. But going through that part of it, yeah."
While the Sixers had hoped to see Anfernee Simons and Adem Bona in preseason action after their injury setbacks, Nurse acknowledged that won't be possible. "Coaching staff obviously was hoping to get them in a game before the opener, just because it's nice to kind of shake off whatever or get to see where they're at in that kind of game, rather than trying to see where they're at in a real live one," Nurse said. "But it is what it is. Long season ahead. Hopefully, we'll get them back sooner rather than later."
Key Analysis
Nurse's strategy underscores the importance of building chemistry and conditioning before the regular season begins. By giving the starters extended run, the Sixers aim to fine-tune their rotations and evaluate their readiness for meaningful games. The absence of Simons and Bona remains a concern, but the team is focused on moving forward with the available personnel.
The Sixers and Celtics will tip off at 7 p.m. EDT on Friday.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Nick Nurse reveals plan for Sixers starters in preseason vs. Celtics.
Originally reported by yahoo.