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Iverson tells Sixers players to believe

We will find out shortly if a visit and some kind words from Allen Iverson can lift the pall over the 76ers that comes with their 0-7 record.

We will find out shortly if a visit and some kind words from Allen Iverson can lift the pall over the 76ers that comes with their 0-7 record.

Iverson was in the area for a meeting with the team's business side. Coach Brett Brown was asked if he wanted the Sixers great and Hall of Famer to say a few words to the players. Afterward, Iverson said he thought the young team would eventually be a solid unit. The players themselves are feeling the pain of being winless.

"Right now, everybody is pretty frustrated," center Jahlil Okafor said Wednesday after a 122-115 overtime loss to the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. "We thought we just let that one go, but we know we are right there.

"Honestly, it's kind of deflating getting so close to a win. . . . Now, we have to be mentally tough."

Mental toughness is something they can learn from Iverson, who played every game as if it was his last. He told the team that Philadelphia demands effort and that the work the team is putting in will eventually be rewarded.

"What we have to understand is I hope the message registers," Iverson said. "That's all I can do is hope my voice means something to guys that are younger than me, and us guys that paved the way . . . If only one guy got it, then I'm happy."

The Sixers' next opportunity to win a game comes Friday night against the Pacers (4-4) at the Wells Fargo Center. A lot of factors have led to the team's winless start.

Ben Simmons (broken right foot), Nerlens Noel (right knee), and Jerryd Bayless (left wrist ligament damage) have been sidelined since the preseason. Joel Embiid has been limited to carefully manage his workload and the stress on his right foot during games and practices. He sat out Wednesday. He also sat out the Nov. 2 loss to the Hornets in Charlotte.

Embiid is scheduled to play Friday. However, he's scheduled to sit out Saturday against the Hawks in Atlanta. The team plans to rest him on the second night of back-to-back games.

The 7-foot-2, 276-pounder said he probably would fly with the team to Atlanta and Houston during the two-game road trip.

"Probably, I think I'm playing in Houston," Embiid said of the game against the Rockets on Monday at the Toyota Center. "So I think I'll make that trip."

Coach Brett Brown said "I'm not sure" about the center's playing in Houston. "I'll be advised by the sports science people."

When Embiid does suit up, the Sixers will restrict his play to 24 minutes. They're doing the same thing with Okafor (knee), who started in place of Embiid on Wednesday.

Right now, the plan is to sit Okafor on Friday and play him on Saturday.

"I want the fans here to be patient with those guys," Iverson said. "We've got the talent. It's here. Just be patient with them. And I just want those guys to believe in each other and trust in each other. That's it: The future is bright for us."

But for the time being, the Sixers are determined to simply get a win.

They keep finding ways to lose what for the most part have been winnable games. On Wednesday, they blew two late fourth-quarter leads. They were up, 106-100, lead with 1 minute, 35 seconds left and lost it. They had a two-point advantage with 5.9 seconds remaining and surrendered it before losing in overtime.

"It's weird, you know," power forward Dario Saric said. "We come in to practice and we try to be better and then present what we worked on in the game. I don't know what to say. We fall a point short."

kpompey@phillynews.com

@PompeyOnSixers

www.philly.com/sixersblog