Okafor, Noel out vs. Knicks

NEW YORK – Fans looking to get a glimpse of Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor team up against the New York Knicks on Columbus Day are out of luck.

The 76ers version of the Twin Towers will be sidelined for Monday night's matchup at Madison Square Garden.

Noel, a 6-foot-11, 223-pound power forward, will miss his second consecutive game with lower back and left knee contusions.  Okafor is out to rest his sore right knee. Sixers coach Brett Brown said that the 6-foot-11, 268-pound center hasn't had any setbacks with his knee.

"It was always planned that we were going to give him off today, and give him off Sunday," Brown said. "He went through the recovery stuff [on Sunday] and were going to rest him. Sit him tonight, and get him jumping back into practice tomorrow."

The third overall pick out of Duke was on a minutes restriction in the previous exhibition games because of his knee.

Meanwhile, Noel hasn't played since suffering the bruises in Thursday's 115-114 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. He has been receiving treatment the previous three days.

Brown had said on Saturday that the Sixers would reassess Noel's playing status after Sunday's treatment. Is his remaining sidelined a sign that the Sixers didn't like what they saw during the reassessment?

"Not really. We are just trying to err on being conservative," Brown said. "I think to get both of those guys fresh for the start of the year is our only objective. There's no conspiracy theory. It's just going slow and erring on the side of being conservative."

Noel and Embiid rode exercise bike during the shootaround at the Garden.

Rookie power forward Richaun Holmes will start in place of Okafor. Second-year power forward Jerami Grant will assume Noel's position. The other starters will be point guard Isaiah Canaan, shooting guard JaKarr Sampson and swingman Robert Covington.

Follow and contact Inquirer 76ers beat writer Keith Pompey on Twitter @PompeyOnSixers and on Instagram at PompeyOnSixers