De'Anthony Melton's Playing Status vs. Knicks

Going into Wednesday night’s game against the Washington Wizards, Philadelphia 76ers guard De’Anthony Melton was expected to play. Considering Joel Embiid was on pace to miss his second-straight game due to a non-COVID illness, Melton was trending toward getting another start.

However, Melton became a late scratch. Although he wasn’t on the injury report leading up to the matchup, Melton was dealing with lower-back stiffness, according to a team official. Therefore, the veteran guard was ruled out of the matchup.

“I don’t think so,” Doc Rivers said when asked if Melton’s injury would be a long-term issue or not on Wednesday night. “I don’t know. I mean, I didn’t know he was gonna be out until we got to the arena tonight. That was a late scratch. He came, and his back was hurting. So, there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Without Melton and Embiid, the Sixers shifted PJ Tucker to the center spot as they typically would and promoted Matisse Thybulle to the starting five. While the Sixers were unclear about Melton’s timeline, they won’t be left wondering, as the veteran is already trending toward making his return.

According to the Sixers’ injury report, Melton is absent and cleared for action. When the team held a Friday morning shootaround hours before their matchup against the New York Knicks, Melton was a participant.

Barring any unexpected setbacks, Melton should be good to go on Friday night. With Sixers star guard James Harden out for the foreseeable future due to a tendon strain, Melton could find a temporary promotion to the Sixers’ starting lineup as long as he remains healthy.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.

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