Joel Embiid needs to rest during the stretch run — but the Sixers can’t survive without him

Joel Embiid is tired.

It was obvious in the second half of the 76ers’ 114-110 loss to the Denver Nuggets Monday night at the Wells Fargo Center. And it was also obvious during moments of Sunday night’s 116-114 overtime victory over the Orlando Magic at the Amway Center, in which he was forced to log 41 minutes.

So it was understandable why Embiid asked to come out in the first quarter Monday. It was also understandable that he passed up shots in the second half that a rejuvenated Embiid would take.

“It was tough,” he said of the fatigue. “Obviously, I played more than 40 minutes [Sunday] night. … I think this year I really only missed two games other than missing those [nine games] because of COVID.

“I started feeling it, but I have to keep pushing because we have 15 more games.”

Embiid, who turned 28 Wednesday, realizes the Sixers (41-26) must find ways to get better heading into the postseason. Anyone that has watched them play lately realizes, even with the addition of James Harden, the Sixers lose a lot when Embiid isn’t on the court. And keeping him on the court also helps develop continuity with Harden, who was acquired via a trade from the Brooklyn Nets on Feb. 10.

While third in the Eastern Conference standings, the Sixers haven’t exactly looked postseason-ready in their last three games.

Harden has been a step slow while mostly struggling to hit shots after being a lethal scorer and playmaker in his first four games as a Sixer. The 10-time All-Star shot combined 8-for-36 against the Nets on Thursday and the Magic Sunday. Then he missed five of seven first-half attempts on Monday before going 4-for-4 in the second half. However, Harden only managed two shots in the fourth quarter.

» READ MORE: Doc Rivers wants Sixers’ James Harden to do away with pass-first approach and be aggressive

Meanwhile, the Sixers’ bench has been the team’s Achilles’ heel. Monday night was the latest example, as the reserves collectively shot 4-for-24 and were a combined minus-43.

The Sixers signed three-time All-NBA center DeAndre Jordan to be Embiid’s backup on March 3 to replace Andre Drummond, who was packaged to the Nets in the deal for Harden. Jordan, 33, is a great locker-room guy. But at this stage of his career, the 14th-year veteran puts the Sixers at a huge disadvantage against elite centers.

In four games with the Sixers entering Wednesday, he was averaging 3.8 points on 38.5% shooting to go with 5.5 rebounds in 12.8 minutes per game. Jordan was a minus-9 against the Magic on Sunday. He followed that up with three points on 1-for-6 shooting, six rebounds, and one block in 11 minutes versus the Nuggets.

With him on court, the Sixers are being outscored by 13.6 points per 100 possessions. The team hit its rock bottom in Jordan’s 39 minutes played next to Harden. That’s when the Sixers are getting outscored by 22.7 points per 100 possessions.

Embiid and power forward Tobias Harris were perhaps the only consistent positives during the three-game stretch where the Sixers were humiliated by the Nets, barely beat the conference’s last-place Magic and blew a 19-point lead in a loss to the Nuggets. Denver had a 29-11 edge in fast-break points. This comes after the Sixers were outscored 19-3 against the Magic and 28-8 versus Brooklyn, respectively, in fast-break points.

» READ MORE: Nuggets pull out win over Sixers despite Joel Embiid’s 34 points in MVP showdown with Nikola Jokić

He finished with a game-high 34 points to go with 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks in Monday’s four-point loss. His effort came one night after posting game highs of 35 points and 16 rebounds, in addition to a team-high seven assists, to beat the Magic. He also finished with a game-high of 27 points to go with 12 rebounds despite sitting out the fourth quarter of the 29-point drubbing to the Nets.

Embiid, the league’s leading scorer at 29.8 points per game, could definitely use a break.

But …

“We have 15 more games and in between that other practices to find ways to get better,” he said. “So there’s really no time to really rest.

“We have to figure out what’s going to help us win.”

So right now, the Sixers have a dilemma.

They’re not good enough to consistently win without Embiid. And they just started a tough four-game stretch in which they’ll follow Wednesday’s game at Cleveland with home games against the Dallas Mavericks (Friday), Toronto Raptors (Sunday) and Miami Heat (Monday).

Yet, Embiid is in need of rest.

He definitely wasn’t about to miss Monday’s matchup against Denver and reigning MVP Nikola Jokić. The two All-Star centers are the front-runners to win this season’s MVP award.

“There was no chance,” he said of missing Monday’s game. “But I listen to them [Sixers’ trainers and doctors]. I listen to whatever they tell me, and I make the decision.

“It could have been, but I think we have to measure ourselves against these tougher opponents. You know we have to play against tough teams and figure out where we really are.”