Sixers' Tobias Harris Ruled Out vs. Pacers on Monday Night
Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers didn't hesitate to give an answer to the question everybody was curious to ask on Monday night ahead of the Sixers' matchup against the Indiana Pacers. Will Tobias Harris make his return after suffering a minor knee injury? Unfortunately, not yet.
During last Thursday's game against the Dallas Mavericks, Tobias Harris was having a quiet game. With just six points in the second half, Harris wasn't much of a factor against the Mavs. However, everybody noticed his lack of presence once he actually left the game and went straight to the locker room.
It didn't take very long for the Sixers to assume Harris was dealing with a knee contusion. While the injury was suspected to be minor, the medical staff didn't want to take any further risks. Therefore, Harris was ruled out for the rest of the matchup.
The following morning, Harris underwent an MRI to check and see if he had any structural damage to his knee. The great news was everything came back clean for the Sixers veteran, but he couldn't return just yet.
The Sixers played in Saturday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Harris's absence was quite noticeable. Without Harris, Philly took on an ugly overtime loss by losing 112-109. Harris hoped to recover quickly enough to play in Monday's game against the Indiana Pacers, but that won't happen.
Hours before tip-off, Doc Rivers made it clear there's no chance Harris will suit up and play against Indiana despite being listed as questionable on Sunday night's injury report. While missing two-straight matchups is unfortunate, it seems Harris's return could come before the All-Star break next week.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.
