76ers: What's Next for Nic Batum After Suffering Injury vs. Celtics?

As the second quarter of the Philadelphia 76ers’ matchup against the Boston Celtics winded down, new Sixers veteran Nic Batum contested a Kristaps Porzingis running dunk in transition, which was an unsuccessful block attempt.

Batum was looking to swat his second shot of the game after rejecting a Porzingis cutting layup four minutes prior. Unfortunately, Batum’s effort backfired as he ended up injuring his hand when he smacked it on the backboard.

The new Sixers veteran grabbed at his hand, showing clear signs of being in pain. Once the Sixers called an immediate timeout with a little over one minute to go in the first half, Batum went straight back to the team’s locker room to get checked out.

According to a team official, Batum underwent an evaluation on his finger during halftime. Despite how it looked after it happened, Batum was cleared to return to the game in the second half. His finger was taped up for the remainder of the contest.

The veteran forward led the Sixers’ bench in minutes played during the second half. He checked in for a little over 12 minutes. During that time, he attempted one shot, which failed to fall successfully. He added two rebounds to his stat line, along with an assist.

Batum helped the Sixers secure a critical win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night. While he managed to finish the matchup, Batum revealed after the game that there would be another step in the evaluation process for his finger injury.

Following the game, Batum revealed he would undergo an MRI on Thursday. Based on his reaction and ability to return to Wednesday night’s game, it seems he’s in good shape moving forward.

Wednesday’s game was just the second appearance Batum made in a Sixers uniform. When he joined the team last Wednesday as a piece in the James Harden blockbuster, Batum missed two games due to personal reasons. He made his debut on Monday against the Washington Wizards.

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse is still feeling out the rotation with the team’s newest additions. Despite Batum coming on late, it seems he has Nurse's interest, as he played a total of 26 minutes off the bench, even getting the nod to compete in crunch time in a crucial game against the Celtics.

As long as Batum’s MRI doesn’t reveal any significant damage, he should remain a key contributor for the 76ers moving forward.