Tyrese Maxey, Matisse Thybulle's Playing Status vs. Magic

The NBA has had been battling with a league-wide COVID-19 spread for quite some time now. Although the Sixers haven't been hit hard by the virus itself all at

The NBA has had been battling with a league-wide COVID-19 spread for quite some time now. Although the Sixers haven't been hit hard by the virus itself all at once, they have had several small outbreaks throughout the year.

Just as the Sixers got Georges Niang, Andre Drummond, Shake Milton, and Danny Green out of the health and safety protocol over the past week, the team lost a few more players due to COVID-related issues recently.

Myles Powell and Tyler Johnson were the first to enter the protocol as the Sixers experienced another outbreak. At this point, Powell is expected to make his return soon while Johnson is no longer with the Sixers as his contract expired.

On Monday, Matisse Thybulle and Tyrese Maxey became the next two players to enter the health and safety protocol. Unfortunately, it wasn't their first time.

Back in November, Thybulle was among four Sixers to miss extended time. As he was placed in the health and safety protocol once again on Sunday night, the veteran wing missed Monday's matchup against the Houston Rockets.

As for Maxey, he was placed in the protocol a couple of weeks ago. However, he never missed a game due to COVID-related reasons. When he initially entered the protocol, Maxey was listed as questionable before getting cleared for action.

This time around, though, he wasn't as lucky. On Monday, Maxey was ruled out for the fourth time this year against the Rockets. Although it's not his first absence, it was the first time Maxey missed a game due to COVID-19.

Will They Return in Orlando?

The Sixers are slated for a matchup against the Orlando Magic on the road on Wednesday night. They'll be shorthanded once again as several players have been ruled out on the Sixers' end in advance.

Maxey and Thybulle, who missed Monday's game, will make it two in a row on Wednesday. As the two remain in the health and safety protocol, they weren't cleared for action early enough to travel to Orlando, Florida.

In addition to Maxey and Matisse, the Sixers will also be without Jaden Springer, Paul Reed, and possibly Myles Powell as they are all in the protocol. In addition, Philly will miss Shake Milton, who suffered a back contusion, and Ben Simmons, who remains out due to personal reasons, on Wednesday night.

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