Game thread: Harris not with Hawks in Philadelphia

Vivlamore reporting.

PHILADELPHIA — The Hawks will be without guard Devin Harris for tonight’s game against the 76ers and likely tomorrow’s home game against the Bulls with a sore left foot. Harris did not travel with the team to Philadelphia.

The injury is unrelated to the turf toe that caused Harris to miss a game earlier this season.

An MRI showed no structural damage. Harris is wearing a walking boot as a precaution. Following Saturday’s game, the Hawks are off three days before hosting the Pistons which will allow Harris extended rest for his foot.

Officially, Harris is listed as day-to-day.

Guard Anthony Morrow said the sore back that caused him to miss two games is fine and he expects to play.

In other items:

* The Sixers are dealing with injury issues of their own. Leading scorer Jrue Holiday has missed the past four games with a sprained left foot. Second-leading scorer Evan Turner is suffering from a sprained left ankle. Both players told the Philadelphia media Friday they expect to play. The team calls each a game-time decision.

The Sixers are also awaiting word on center Andrew Bynum. He has not played this season due to knee bone bruises. Bynum was examined by David Altchek in New York Thursday and the team is expected to announce the results prior to tonight’s game.

* Due to the uncertainty of the Sixers roster, Hawks coach Larry Drew said he will wait to determine his starting lineup.

“In these situations we factor (injured opponents) in,” Drew said. “We look at the worst-case scenario that all their guys are there. If certain guys don’t go, we’ll start this lineup. If certain guys don’t go, we’ll start that lineup. We cover our bases.”

Drew said the Sixers’ injuries will not affect how his team plays offensively. He said they could make some defensive adjustments.

* I asked Drew about the team’s recent performance as they have lost two of three past games. They were blown out by the Warriors, narrowly defeated the Wizards and trailed by 17 points before falling to the Thunder.

“I think we’ve been a little inconsistent with some of the things that we did pretty good the first 10 games of the season,” Drew said. “That is expected. You are going to go through those pockets where you are going to have those struggles. You have to work your way through it.

“I would love for us to be efficient every game we play, but that is not going to be the case. Given the schedule, with this stretch of four (games) in five nights, so of that is to be expected. It’s just a matter of working through it. Go back (to the past three games) there were stretches where we did not play very well. We want to focus on what we did wrong in those stretches. What we don’t want is to panic at this point. There are too many more games to play.”

* Anthony Tolliver says he has been frustrated by his recent lack of playing time. The forward did not play in seven straight games in November and December. He has appeared in six of the past seven games, averaging 7.6 minutes. He scored six points in the loss to the Thunder Wednesday.

“Something I pride myself on is coming in and playing defense and doing the little things to help my team win,” Tolliver said. “The stat sheet might not be filled at the end of the night for me but I definitely feel like whenever I’m on the court we are a better team. …

“It is very, very difficult on the offense end (not playing). I’ve been struggling shooting the ball but I try not to think about it. I don’t go into each game thinking I’m struggling. I go in thinking it’s a new game, a fresh start.

“Everybody, the coaches and my agent, told me to stay ready. It was pretty frustrating. I’m still not satisfied playing just a little bit. I definitely feel like I want to compete for more time. But I’ve got to earn it.”

- Chris Vivlamore

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