Sixers' Shake Milton Had Another Injury Scare vs. Kings
Not even a week ago, the Philadelphia 76ers held their breathe as the veteran guard Shake Milton suffered what looked like to be a serious injury at first. Early on in the game against the Charlotte Hornets, Milton was driving to the basket when he awkwardly planted his foot down and buckled his knee.
Milton was on the floor for quite some time. Although he could get up using his own power and even took on his free-throw attempts from the line, the 76ers had to intentionally foul, so they could get him out of the game.
Immediately after, Milton followed the Sixers' medical staff to the locker room to get everything checked out. As it turns out, Milton hyperextended his knee. While it didn't look good at first, the young guard was able to check back into the game at some point. "Thank God it wasn’t [serious],” Milton said. “I went back to the back and checked it out; I felt okay, I was ready to play anyways, and I was good to go.”
Milton played in the next few games for the 76ers as his knee injury didn't hold him back. But once again, the reserve guard had a bit of an injury scare on Tuesday night. This time, it was against the Sacramento Kings.
Same scenario, different injury. As Milton was driving to the basket, he stepped on the foot of an opponent causing his ankle to roll. Once again, Milton spent some time on the floor as it looked like he was in some pain.
Milton didn't head straight to the locker room afterward, which is always a good sign. Another good sign was that Sixers head coach Doc Rivers seems to have played the injury down after the game.
“I have no idea [what happened]," Rivers said. “I think he turned the ball over. That’s the part I remember. The injury part, I don’t remember. I think he’s okay, honestly. He looked fine after the game, but we’ll see. My guess is it was ankle related, but I’m not sure.”
Milton, who wrapped the game up with 11 points in 20 minutes of action, didn't speak to the media after the win over the Kings. Therefore, he wasn't available to offer an update on his injury. Based on Rivers' reaction, it seems Milton isn't dealing with anything too serious, which is a positive for the Sixers, who will take on the Portland Trail Blazers once again on Thursday. Except for this time, it's on the road.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_
