76ers vs. Cavaliers: Kyle Lowry’s Playing Status Downgraded

Coming off their first game back since the 2024 NBA All-Star break, the Philadelphia 76ers won’t get much downtime between games.

On Friday night, the Sixers are set to return to their home court to host the Cleveland Cavaliers.

While the 76ers got healthier ahead of Thursday’s matchup against the New York Knicks, they will deal with more absences on Friday night, beginning with the veteran guard Kyle Lowry.

For the first time in his NBA career, Lowry debuted for his hometown team on Thursday night. After reaching a buyout with the Charlotte Hornets and signing with the Sixers, Lowry took a little over a week to get back into basketball shape ahead of Thursday’s outing.

Against the Knicks, Lowry came off the bench for 25 minutes. He had an efficient outing by knocking down five of his seven shots, with a successful attempt from beyond the arc. He finished the game with 11 points, five assists, and four rebounds in the Sixers’ 14-point loss against New York.

While Lowry had a productive debut outing with the Sixers, he dealt with an in-game setback early on. After getting elbowed in the face, the veteran guard was forced back to the locker room and diagnosed with a facial laceration, which required stitches.

Lowry returned for the second half and finished the game. Afterward, he mentioned he would be fine moving forward. Unfortunately, the Sixers won’t have the veteran guard on board for Friday’s game against Cleveland. According to the injury report, the Sixers will rule him out due to “return to competition reconditioning.”

The veteran guard will get the night off and could potentially make his second appearance on the court with the Sixers on Sunday when Doc Rivers and the Milwaukee Bucks come to South Philly.