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Sixers Lose, Fall to 8th in the East as Tyrese Maxey Leaves After a Hard Collision
By Sean Barnard
Published:
When it rains it pours for the Sixers, who lost to the Hawks on Saturday night to slip to 8th in the East.
Tyrese Maxey collided with Adem Bona during the game’s final seconds, grabbed at his hand, and left the matchup in some clear pain:
Luckily, it seems like he’s gonna be okay:
In a vacuum this is an unlucky break in which Adem Bona deserves zero blame. Injuries happen in sports. But this did have the feeling of the straw that broke the camel’s back in a season where the Sixers have been hanging by a thread for several weeks.
Nick Nurse was unable to provide any sort of information on the injury during his postgame availability outside of stating that Maxey was undergoing X-Rays and they will evaluate the severity from there. But Maxey grabbing at his hand before he even hit the ground and the look on his face as he slid himself off the court was anything but reassuring.
Following the 125-116 loss, the Sixers now drop into the play-in mix a half-game behind the Magic and Heat. With 19 games remaining, there is still time to win games and climb back into a solidified playoff seed. But this requires having the talent capable of winning game on the floor and this has been an increasingly difficult task as the season has progressed.
Paul George remains suspended for nine more games and will be eligible to return for the final 10 games of the regular season. Joel Embiid has started individualized strength training, but still has yet to return to the court with his oblique strain. No clear timeline has been established, but the Sixers expect him to be to re-evaluated in another week.
While the aging max contracts stars have been in and out of the lineup, it has been Maxey who has stepped into the shoes of the franchise center piece and player capable of being the offensive engine. He earned the second All-Star appearance of his career this season and looked to be a true All-NBA candidate, posting averages of 28.9 points, 6.7 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game on the season.
If Maxey is to miss any extended period of time, and even just a handful of games, the outlook for this team is basically nonexistent.
Sean Barnard has covered the Philadelphia 76ers and general Philly Sports for over six years in a variety of roles and for multiple outlets. Currently works as a Content Writer for DraftKings Network, Sixers/NBA Insider for Philadelphia's Fox Sports the Gambler, and co-host of Sixers & Phillies Digest on Youtube. Forever Trusting the Process.