The Sixers still have a few lingering injury questions as the days tick down toward their regular-season opener next Tuesday against the Knicks.<\/p>\n
Adem Bona (left foot sprain) and Anfernee Simons (hamstring) were partial participants in practice for the second straight day, a team official said Tuesday. Dominick Barlow (back) did not practice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said Simons and Bona both \u201cdid a good majority of stuff in the half court.\u201d Will they play Friday in the Sixers\u2019 preseason finale vs. the Celtics?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope so,\u201d Nurse said. \u201cI don\u2019t know where that hope line is, but there\u2019s certainly some hope.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Barlow does not sound as if he\u2019s on the verge of a return.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no timeline,\u201d Nurse said. \u201cHe just has some soreness that he\u2019s dealing with. Giving him some real decent time off to see if that will kind of progress it quickly. There\u2019s no timeline. Just hoping it gets a little better, he feels a little better and he can get back out there fairly shortly.\u201d<\/p>\n
On top of Ariel Hukporti\u2019s right Achilles tendon tear<\/a>, Bona and Barlow\u2019s absences have contributed to the Sixers\u2019 shorthanded state at center.\u00a0<\/p>\n Whenever he gets the green light to play, Bona would be the logical next name in line after Joel Embiid. The Sixers used Jabari Walker and Dean Wade at the five Saturday in their blowout preseason loss to the Celtics. <\/a>Walker has boosted his stock in the preseason, averaging 11.0 points and 8.0 rebounds in 20.5 minutes per game and shooting 5 for 13 from three-point range (38.5 percent).\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve both played pretty (well). I think Jabari\u2019s played outstanding, actually,\u201d Nurse said. \u201cAnd Dean, we\u2019ve seen that he\u2019s a really good player, kind of a multi-faceted guy. \u2026 He can pop, he can guard multiple positions<\/a>, he rebounds really well for his position.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSo I think those guys have done a nice job and that\u2019s where we\u2019ll start if we have to, as far as backup five. But it looks like they both are capable. I guess we\u2019ll see. It\u2019ll matter with matchups, who we\u2019re playing and all that kind of stuff, too. \u2026 I\u2019m pretty happy with the jump Jabari has taken, just confidence-wise. And I\u2019m really happy with the player that Dean is.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Simons has yet to make his Sixers preseason debut.\u00a0<\/p>\n For what it\u2019s worth, Labaron Philon Jr. gave a rave review of the 27-year-old guard\u2019s practice performance.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHe looked great,\u201d Philon said. \u201cComing off screens, shooting the ball, getting into the lane, pull-ups. He\u2019s a very confident, high-level shotmaker. \u2026 Seeing a guy come back and be ready like that, it\u2019s crazy. I would say he made a lot of threes today and he was coming off of real quick actions.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Philon had his most productive game of the preseason last time out, posting 14 points and seven assists.<\/p>\n