Sixers forward Dominick Barlow ready to pick up where he left off
Barlow played well in the Sixers' first two games, both wins, and became a fan favorite for his hustling style of play.
DETROIT — On Friday morning, hours before returning to play, Dominick Barlow addressed the right elbow laceration that had sidelined him since Oct. 25.
“I had a cut in Abu Dhabi,” he said, “and it just never had a chance to heal. It just swelled, and the cut couldn’t fully heal. So I had to get a procedure on it.”
The 76ers are in the Motor City for Friday night’s NBA Cup East Group B game against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena. The Sixers (7-4, 0-1 NBA Cup) are looking to win their second consecutive game and avenge Sunday’s 111-108 home loss to the Pistons (10-2, 1-0).
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They were in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, from Sept. 29 to Oct. 4 to practice and participate in two exhibition games against the New York Knicks. Barlow played in those games and the remaining two exhibitions against the Orlando Magic and Minnesota Timberwolves at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
He also was a solid starter at power forward during the first two regular-season games — at Boston Celtics and home vs. the Charlotte Hornets — before missing the next nine games because of the cut spreading and swelling.
“That was the stuff we were trying to avoid,” Barlow said. “We just wanted to get it taken care of so it’s not a lingering problem.”
Wearing a splint on his right arm, Barlow was limited to mainly riding an exercise bike and watching game film.
“I couldn’t really dribble,” he said. “I did some left-hand stuff. You might see some left-hand stuff today, but I really couldn’t do anything with my right.”
The 6-foot-9 Barlow admitted that not playing was hard for him, especially after he played well in the Sixers’ first two games, both wins.
Barlow, who signed a two-way contract in July, quickly became a fan favorite because of his ability to attack the glass, run the floor, and serve as a good role player.
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He helped the Sixers get going against Boston in the season opener with three points, two offensive rebounds, and an assist in the first quarter. He finished that game with 13 points on 4-for-8 shooting to go with eight rebounds (five offensive), five assists, and a block.
“It’s not fun,” he said of being sidelined. “I mean, it’s fun watching our guys play, but it’s not fun in terms of not being able to help them, compete with them, especially over something if it were anywhere else, it wouldn’t have been a problem. I’m just excited to move past that and play.”
The traveling man
Sixers rookie Hunter Sallis scored 19 points for the Delaware Blue Coats in Thursday night’s 133-126 NBA G League victory over the Greensboro Swarm at Chase Fieldhouse in Wilmington. He flew to Michigan on Friday morning to reunite with the Sixers in time for the 10 a.m. shootaround and will be available for the game.