Sixers vs. Knicks: Tyrese Maxey's Injury Status Revealed
On Sunday night, the Philadelphia 76ers are set to visit Madison Square Garden, as they look to salvage something from their season series against the New York Knicks, an opponent who has proven to be quite the problem for Nick Nurse's side this season.
Both of their previous meetings have ended in less than flattering results for the Sixers, with their first match ending in a 36-point blowout, while they tightened up in their last meeting, cutting the final deficit to 14.
A significant reason for the closer result in their second meeting in late February was Tyrese Maxey's impressive scoring display, as the Sixers' All-Star would drop 35 points on 45 percent shooting while dishing out five assists to cap it all off.
This would be the follow-up to Maxey's 27-point outing when the sides first met in early January.
These performances have only added to Maxey's consistent averages against the Knicks, putting up 19 points per game on 45 percent shooting per game.
While Maxey has proven to be important for the Sixers so far this season against the Knicks, they'll have to play without him on Sunday as the 23-year-old has been downgraded as he continues to recover from a concussion he last week in a match against the Dallas Mavericks.
Despite his status in the NBA's Concussion Protocol and impending absence on Sunday night, here was a brief ray of good news for Philadelphia, as Maxey partook in a solo workout earlier on in the week.
To fill in for the Sixers' All-Star in the starting lineup, Nurse has opted to use both Kyle Lowry and Cameron Payne depending on availability.
At the moment, Lowry remains off of Philadelphia's injury report, having played against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night, after sitting out of a match in the midweek to rest.
In their short stint without Maxey, it's safe to say that the Sixers have struggled, having not won a game without the 23-year-old, perhaps partially as a result of missing his scoring contributions and on-court vision.
Aside from reigning MVP Joel Embiid, Nurse is set to be without Robert Covington and De'Anthony Melton, both of whom continue to suffer from their respective injuries.
