Sixers sliding in East, but players keeping the faith

The 76ers keep sliding in the Eastern Conference standings, though the locker room insists better days could be ahead.

Philadelphia dropped another one Monday in Cleveland, falling for the fourth time in its past five games and slipping to eighth place in the East. The bigger issue has been availability.

The Sixers have been playing without several key pieces, something players say has made the recent stretch even tougher.

“We have, what, four of our five starters out?” guard Justin Edwards said, via Tony Jones of The Athletic. “We know that we have a chance when we have all of our guys.”

Among those missing is former MVP Joel Embiid, who has appeared in just two games over the past month while dealing with a strained right oblique. According to Jones, Embiid is expected to be reevaluated after Tuesday’s game.

Meanwhile, All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey continues to deal with a sprained finger suffered over the weekend. Coach Nick Nurse said Maxey wore a splint Monday and will see a specialist later this week.

The injury list does not stop there. Rookie V.J. Edgecombe remains out with a lumbar contusion, and forward Paul George still has two weeks left on his 25-game suspension.

So with all that in mind, the focus is simple.

“We have to play hard, and we have to make more shots,” guard Cameron Payne said. “We need to go 1-0 every day. At the end of the day, that means getting stops and for us to keep playing together.”