Two days removed from their loss to the Orlando Magic, the Philadelphia 76ers take the floor in Miami Monday in pursuit of their third win. They’ll be taking on a Heat team who will be without a handful of rotation players.
Among those the Heat have already ruled out for this matchup is point guard Terry Rozier. He will miss his first game of the season as he deals with discomfort in his right foot.
Rozier joined the Heat midway through last year in a trade with the Charlotte Hornets. Ironically enough, Miami acquired him in exchange for Kyle Lowry. Following the trade, Lowry agreed to terms on a buyout with the Hornets and joined the Sixers.
The veteran guard had a strong start to the season, but struggled offensively before dealing with a foot injury. In his first 12 games, Rozier is averaging 12.9 PPG and 3.7 APG on 38% shooting from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc.
With Rozier out of action, Tyler Herro is someone who will likely have the ball in his hands even more against the Sixers. He should already be at the top of Nick Nurse’s scouting report, as he’s arguably been their best player to start the year. Herro enters Monday averaging a career-high 24.8 PPG.
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As for the Sixers, they’ll be aiming to put an end to their three-game losing streak. It could end up being a tall task, depending on what the availability of their key players looks like. Joel Embiid was originally listed as questionable, but has since been downgraded to doubtful as he deals with an illness.
Given the circumstances, Paul George will be called up to lead the charge for the Sixers as they attempt to avoid dropping to 2-11 on the season.