Sixers Coach Explains Tobias Harris' Absence in Crunch Time vs. Heat

Where was Tobias Harris in crunch time?

Apr 17, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) drives for a / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

On Wednesday night, the Philadelphia 76ers welcomed the Miami Heat into the Wells Fargo Center for the first match of the Eastern Conference’s Play-In tournament, with both sides eager to book their tickets into the playoffs.

The matchup proved to be a rather scrappy affair, with the Heat going ahead by as much as 14 points early on in the match, thanks to a stellar opening half from former Sixer Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro, who would combine for 19 points.

Yet, the second half would be all Philadelphia, as they managed to scrape their way back into the match, with Nicolas Batum, Tyrese Maxey, and Kelly Oubre Jr being the main catalysts for Nick Nurse’s side.

Batum would be the biggest contributor in the second half as he’d put up 17 points, which includes five makes from beyond the arch.

While Batum stayed on the court, Oubre would join him for the remaining chunk of the game, as he filled in the shoes left by Tobias Harris, who was pulled with a little under five minutes left to play.

Given that Harris has been a big part of Nurse’s playbook so far this season, appearing in 70 games for Philadelphia this season, there may have been some eyebrows raised by this decision.

Granted, Nurse was quick to defend his decision to pull the 31-year-old, which was done due to fatigue according to the Sixers’ head coach.

“No, I thought Tobias was playing fine, he played a ton of minutes,” explained Nurse, “I thought he was absolutely tired; that was the only reason I made that switch.”

Against the Heat, Harris managed to appear on the court for 32 minutes, during which he put up nine points, ten rebounds, and four assists.

His appearance on Wednesday night came only a few days after his 30 minute outing against the Brooklyn Nets in the Sixers’ regular season finale, with his playing time being the most out of the starting lineup, surpassing Maxey by a mere minute.

Following their win against Miami, Philadelphia will have some time to rest and recuperate before the start of their first-round series against the New York Knicks on Saturday night.