CAMDEN, N.J. -- As the Philadelphia 76ers head into the final preseason game on the docket, there is one question on everybody's mind: How much will coach Nick Nurse play the starters?
As the Sixers play host to the Boston Celtics on Friday night, the team's projected starting lineup only played a half together against the Brooklyn Nets on Oct. 8. The team decided to rest LeBron James, Joel Embiid, and Jaylen Brown against the Celtics on Oct. 10 in Boston.
With one final exhibition game to get everybody moving, Nurse gave insight into his plans for the team's starters.
"It always is a bit fluid and flexible, I think, because we would like to get the majority of them into the second half," said Nurse at practice on Thursday. "I think it's now time to play, go into halftime, come back out and get ready to go again, just again to start what that feels like, and then it's probably fairly short after that. But going through that part of it, yeah."
Nick Nurse reveals the plan for the #Sixers starters for tomorrow’s preseason finale: pic.twitter.com/ffSouRFiYu
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) October 15, 2026
Of course, the Sixers would like to get guys like Anfernee Simons and Adem Bona into a preseason game after both have battled injuries, but Nurse has accepted that they won't be able to. That part is unfortunate, but Philadelphia will have to move forward.
"Coaching staff obviously was hoping to get them in a game before the opener, just because it's nice to kind of shake off whatever or get to see where they're at in that kind of game, rather than trying to see where they're at in a real live one," Nurse finished. "But is is what it is. Long season ahead. Hopefully, we'll get them back sooner rather than later."
The Sixers and Celtics will tip off at 7 p.m. EDT on Friday.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Nick Nurse reveals plan for Sixers starters in preseason vs. Celtics