James Harden, Joel Embiid Unsure of Playing Status vs. Pistons

The Philadelphia 76ers went into Saturday's game against the Indiana Pacers with a fully healthy starting lineup. Outside of the veteran backup power forward Georges Niang, all of the primary rotational players were healthy and available.

Considering Saturday's game was Philadelphia's second-to-last matchup before the NBA Playoffs, many expected the Sixers to potentially sit some of their key stars as they want to ensure they're healthy and rested before the postseason.

But that wasn't the case against the Pacers. James Harden and Joel Embiid, who have received rest nights recently, got the nod to start and play on Saturday. For Embiid, he checked in for nearly 37 minutes as he once again led his team to victory with an impressive 41 points and 20 rebounds.

As for Harden, he clocked in for a 38-minute shift. While his long-range shooting remains a concern, Harden had himself a decent performance with 22 points and 14 assists. On Sunday, the Sixers will take the court in South Philly once again for their regular-season finale.

This time, they'll host the Detroit Pistons. While a win on Sunday could help the Sixers advance to the Eastern Conference's third seed, the matchup isn't exactly a must-win scenario for the 76ers. Therefore, they could consider resting Harden and Embiid.

Will The Sixers Rest the Stars?

"That's something we're discussing right now," said Harden after Saturday's victory over Indiana. "I definitely want to [play], but that's up to us as a collective unit." 

In the past, Harden felt confident he would play in the second game of back-to-backs, but he wasn't always correct. The last time the Sixers participated in a back-to-back, Harden got a rest night after playing for 37 minutes in the previous outing. Although he believed he would play in the second matchup, the Sixers rested him.

Joel Embiid is in a similar boat. While the Sixers are more comfortable allowing Embiid to play in back-to-back games this year, he got a rest night the last time the team had two-straight games. Similar to Harden, Embiid wants to face the Pistons on Sunday, but he isn't sure if he'll get cleared or not.

"I want to, but at the same time, it's also a back-to-back, and we're getting ready for the playoffs," said Embiid. "I hyperextended my knee last time against Indiana, so I'm gonna see how I feel, but I wanna play. I feel like we still need to work on whether it's the spacing or chemistry, so whatever we can get out of these last games will be good."

The Sixers are set to tip-off with the Detroit Pistons at 7 PM ET. on Sunday night.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.