76ers Add De’Anthony Melton to Injury Report vs. Hawks
Last Friday, the Philadelphia 76ers missed both of their All-Stars as Joel Embiid and James Harden both sat out for different reasons. While Harden remains off the floor for a while due to a tendon strain, Embiid is fortunately back in the mix for the Sixers.
However, the team has dealt with its fair share of minor setbacks recently. Entering Thursday’s matchup against the Hawks, the Sixers added the veteran forward PJ Tucker to the injury report as he’s dealing with a hip contusion.
While Tucker’s playing status on Thursday night was questionable, he was eventually cleared for action when the Sixers took on Atlanta on the road.
On Saturday, the Hawks and the Sixers will face each other for a second time this week. This time around, the team removed Tucker from the report and added the third-year center, Paul Reed. According to the team, Reed is dealing with a right knee contusion. As of Saturday, Reed is questionable and is viewed as a game-time decision.
The young veteran isn’t alone on the injury report. Following Philadelphia’s Saturday morning shootaround, the veteran guard De’Anthony Melton was added to the team’s injury report. Similar to Reed, Melton is questionable for Saturday’s game. Except the guard is dealing with back stiffness.
Lately, Melton’s started for the Sixers in the absence of Harden. Since picking up a consistent starting role, Melton has spent an average of 30 minutes on the floor, putting up seven points per game while shooting just 25 percent from the field.
If Melton can’t get the nod to play on Saturday, it would mark the second time this season he sits out. Last Wednesday, when the Sixers hosted the Washington Wizards, Melton was a late scratch as he was dealing with lower back stiffness.
As of Saturday afternoon, the veteran guard has a 50/50 shot of playing in the rematch against the Hawks.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
