MINNEAPOLIS — Brett Brown did not say following the Sixers' 110-86 loss to Minnesota on Thursday whether rookie center Joel Embiid would play Saturday against the Phoenix Suns.
"It is so fluid that we don't (know) yet," the head coach said. "It's part of our landscape, like you hear it all the time from us and me. It's part of our world where you go in (and) you're not really quite sure what the lay of the land is going to be."
Embiid played just over 22 minutes in his eighth career game, scoring 10 points on 4 for 9 shooting while grabbing 10 rebounds.
After missing the last two seasons with foot injuries, Embiid has averaged 17.0 points and 7.6 rebounds in 22.3 minutes per game. He hasn't played consecutive games since Nov. 5 and Nov. 7.
The Sixers have also been cautious with is fellow big man Jahlil Okafor, who has yet to play more than 24 minutes in a game this season. Okafor missed most of the second half of last season with a knee injury but has played in 11 of the Sixers' 12 games this season.
"We will judge Joel. We will judge Jahlil, and from that judgment, our sports science people will give us a marching orders of how much we can play them," Brown said. "So it's piecemealing it right now until these guys get back on track with 100 percent health."
National stage provides extra motivation
Brown said before Thursday's game he expected the Sixers to be extra motivated playing on national TV.
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"It's part of the evolution of taking our young guys and drip feeding them with these type of experiences and ultimately getting them to a level where, you know, they feel bulletproof," he said.
Turns out the Timberwolves were motivated, too.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau said he thought the Wolves came out ready to play, praising their first-half defense.
Karl-Anthony Towns said he was excited to play against another talented center in Embiid for the first time.
"Those are the ones you look forward to, going against a great, talented player, someone who's going to be in this league for a long time," KAT said. "Those are the fun matchups."
Brown said he thinks Embiid will be just fine going forward despite the quiet night offensively. The rookie appeared to roll an ankle in the first quarter, but neither Brown nor Embiid appeared concerned.
"He's fine," Brown said. "He rolled his ankle for a minute and felt the pain and then ended up getting through it."
Sixers say LaVine dunk a violation
Zach LaVine, the high-flying Timberwolves guard, gave Minnesota a 41-25 lead in the second quarter with a putback dunk off a missed free throw.
The Sixers said the play should not have been allowed, noting LaVine was moving before Adreian Payne released the ball.
"It was a violation," Brown said. "It was completely illegal. When you look at the tape, you cannot go in before the ball leaves somebody's hands."