Did Tyrese Maxey Travel for Sixers’ Two-Game Set vs. Knicks?
On Sunday, the Philadelphia 76ers fired up a two-game set on the road against the New York Knicks. Going into the first of two matchups in NYC, the Sixers were shorthanded, as expected.
Joel Embiid continues to recover from a meniscus injury, which required surgery last month. While the Sixers are hopeful for his return at some point this season, Embiid remains off the court for the time being.
The veteran role players Robert Covington and De’Anthony Melton are dealing with injuries that haven’t required surgery, but kept them off the floor for an extended period of time.
Then, there’s Tyrese Maxey, who suffered a concussion last Sunday in the Sixers’ victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
During the third quarter of the shorthanded victory on the road, Maxey slipped and hit his head on the knee of a defender. He was slow to get up but managed to walk back to the locker room on his own power. After going through a medical evaluation, Maxey was cleared to return. While he finished the game out in Dallas, the young guard experienced delayed concussion symptoms leading up to the next game.
Initially listed as available against the Brooklyn Nets, Maxey was on pace to play. However, he was downgraded and sent home hours before the game tipped off. The Sixers confirmed that Maxey landed in the NBA’s concussion protocol. Since the Dallas matchup, he hasn’t played.
While Maxey has slowly progressed to the point where he’s been able to participate in workouts, the Sixers have rolled without him against the Nets, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, and the Knicks.
The young guard might not have made an appearance in Sunday’s game at Madison Square Garden, but the head coach, Nick Nurse, noted that Maxey made the trip, which signals there’s a chance he could get cleared by Tuesday’s game.
The Sixers will go toe-to-toe with the Knicks once more on Tuesday night.
