Thad Young's struggles tied to weight loss

Sixers coach Doug Collins said it’s no mystery as to why forward Thaddeus Young had one of his worst games of the season Wednesday against the Knicks. Collins said it’s because Young’s weight is down to 213 pounds, or two less pounds than guard Evan Turner. “My two-guard weighs more than my power forward,” Collins said. He said Young’s weight loss stems from the upper respiratory virus that he had two weeks ago that kept him out of the game March 7 against the Celtics. Typically, Young weighs around 220 pounds, although Collins would like him to be 225 pounds. That won’t happen this season because of the compressed schedule. And Young has probably played more than Collins wanted him to with Spencer Hawes missing 27 of 29 games recently. “Thad took a lot of minutes and helped us win games when Spencer was out,” Collins said. “That's the toll I was worried about. I want Thad to eat more. I thought he’s been fatigued. He’s the key to everything we do, and I’m a little worried about him.” Young played 27 minutes Wednesday against the Knicks. He shot 2-for-6 and scored just seven points in the Sixers’ 82-79 loss. It was the third time in four games that Young hadn’t reached double figures in scoring during a game. Young was averaging 13.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game heading into the Sixers’ game Friday against the Celtics. Hitting their stride: Collins expected a different Celtics team Friday than the one the Sixers beat 103-71 on March 7. That game was the Celtics third in four nights. Boston went overtime in the previous two games, including a win over Houston the night before playing the Sixers. “The last time we caught them, they were a very tired team,” Collins said. “Right now, they’re a very inspired team.” The Celtics played the final game of an eight-game road trip Friday night. They were 4-3 through the first seven games, which got them to within a half-game of the Sixers in the Atlantic Division. Winning the division is important in order to avoid playing either Miami or Chicago in the first round of the playoffs. “I’d rather be in their position,” Rivers said about the Sixers. “Give me the position where you’re on top, always. It doesn’t matter how or when you win during the season. It matters that you win more than the other team at the end.” In the paint: Tony Battie was the first big man off the bench, ahead of rookies Nikola Vucevic and Lavoy Allen. Collins said he wanted to use Battie first because of his experience.