Joel Embiid and Paul George made a little progress during Thursday’s practice, according to 76ers coach Nick Nurse. “They both were in most of the action,” Nurse said of his sidelined All-Stars. “Again,

George is recovering from a bone bruise in his left knee that he suffered on Oct. 14 against the Atlanta Hawks in the preseason and Embiid is out due to left knee injury management. The Sixers have Embiid on a load management plan in an effort to deliver him to the postseason as healthy as possible.

It wasn’t so much the 124-109 handling but who meted it out. Yes, a fellow Eastern Conference contender in the Milwaukee Bucks, but one that fell short in its meshing of stars in Year 1.