Knicks Injury Report: Obi Toppin Won't Face 76ers on Christmas

The New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers are rather healthy for their Christmas Day battle on Sunday afternoon.

For the Sixers, they will continue to miss a key starter as the young guard Tyrese Maxey has been ruled out once again. Since last month, Maxey’s been rehabbing a fractured foot. While there was speculation he could make his return shortly before or on Christmas Day, that won’t be the case.

Outside of Maxey and multiple two-way prospects, the Sixers are healthy. Fortunately for the Knicks, they are in a similar position. Two-way players DaQuan Jeffries and Trevor Keels won’t suit up for Sunday’s game as they are around the Knicks’ G League affiliate.

The only other player on the injury report for New York is the former first-round pick, Obi Toppin.

After checking into New York’s December 7 matchup against the Atlanta Hawks, Toppin spent seven minutes on the court. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury that was later diagnosed as a non-displaced fracture to his right fibula head.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Toppin was initially put on a timeline to be re-evaluated in 2-3 weeks. When the Sixers and the Knicks meet on Sunday afternoon, Toppin will miss the matchup, as expected. Sunday's game marks the eighth-straight absence for the young veteran.

Going into the 2022-2023 NBA season, the Knicks intended to expand Toppin’s role. While he has yet to garner a starting job in New York, after starting in just ten of 134 games he’s appeared in over the last two seasons, Toppin averaged 17 minutes off the bench in his first 25 games this year.

Considering Toppin’s most impactful game this season came against the Sixers earlier this year, his absence on Sunday could be notable.

During the early November meeting between the Sixers and the Knicks in South Philly, Toppin checked in for 20 minutes off the bench. He got up ten shots from the field, draining six of his field goals, with three makes from beyond the arc. Toppin finished the night with a season-high of 17 points in the Knicks’ two-point win over Philadelphia.

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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