76ers' Doc Rivers Has Injury Updates on Furkan Korkmaz, Matisse Thybulle

As the 2020-2021 NBA season's end is near, the Philadelphia 76ers are gearing up for the inevitable playoff run, which will begin in two weeks.

Knowing they are guaranteed a spot in the postseason, the Sixers have now shifted most of their focus on staying healthy as the regular season concludes.

Lately, the Sixers have been relatively healthy -- but not entirely. Last week, Sixers veteran sharpshooter Furkan Korkmaz went down with a lower-body injury in the first quarter of the matchup against the Chicago Bulls. 

After leaving the court and getting everything checked out, Korkmaz was diagnosed with a sprained ankle. As a result, he's missed the last three games.

“He’s close [to returning]," said Sixers head coach Doc Rivers following Monday's practice. "I wouldn’t rule him out for tomorrow, but I’m not sure whether he will play or not.” The Sixers are set to face the Indiana Pacers one last time on Tuesday and despite Rivers' optimistic assumption, Korkmaz will not play.

As for Sixers' second-year guard Matisse Thybulle, he's another player who will miss the game on Tuesday night. During Saturday's game against the Detroit Pistons, Thybulle dove for a loose ball and injured himself in the process.

Right away, the young veteran went straight to the locker room to be examined by the team's medical staff. After being away for a few moments, Thybulle returned to the Sixers' bench in full uniform and eventually checked back into the game to finish his shift for the night.

“Matisse hurt his hand last game," Rivers stated as he revealed Thybulle didn't practice on Monday. "So, we didn’t want anybody to hit it just because that would take them out of any chance of playing tomorrow." 

Rivers couldn't guarantee anybody's playing status for Tuesday night, but it sounds like the Sixers who are injured are getting healthier -- and those who have been healthy but are being held out are just sitting for precautionary reasons, which is a good sign.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.