The Sixers have 20 games left in this mess of a season. The final crawl continues Sunday night when the Sixers host the Jazz, with both teams benefitting more from a hypothetical loss than a win.
Markkanen will miss an eighth consecutive game for the Jazz while nursing a back injury. Utah will be shorthanded once again Sunday, with the team likely having to turn to Brice Sensabaugh, Kyle Filipowski and KJ Martin in the frontcourt, especially with John Collins (back) and Walker Kessler (rest) also ruled out for this game in Philadelphia.
Ahead of Utah's 118-109 loss in Toronto on Friday, Jazz coach Will Hardy was asked: What was the most important thing to keep the fans engaged during these late-season, for the lack of a better term,
Markkanen has had a down season for the tanking Jazz after signing a five-year, $238 million contract this summer. The 27-year-old has averaged 19.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists on 42.5 percent shooting from the field and 34.7 percent from three. Utah is 9-34 in games he has played.