Sixers Officially Rule Out Injured Guard vs. Miami Heat

The Philadelphia 76ers will miss De'Anthony Melton on Wednesday against the Miami Heat.

Feb 27, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard De'Anthony Melton (8) passes | Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Once again, De’Anthony Melton’s return to the Philadelphia 76ers’ rotation was short-lived.

After returning to the court for the final week of the regular season, Melton felt good about the upcoming postseason run that was in play for the Sixers.

In his first game back, Melton took on the Detroit Pistons for a 15-minute shift. Although he struggled, he knocked off some rust and hoped for an increase in playing time moving forward.

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse hoped to get Melton more minutes in the critical matchup against the Orlando Magic last Thursday. But with the flow of the game, Melton saw the court for five minutes.

Unfortunately, beyond that 12-point win over Orlando, Melton started to experience some symptoms of a setback. When the Sixers approached their Sunday season finale against the Brooklyn Nets last weekend, Melton was questionable before getting downgraded to out.

There was a notable level of concern for Melton after Sunday’s victory against the Nets. Based on Nick Nurse’s update regarding the veteran guard, it seemed Melton’s chances of getting cleared to take on the Miami Heat for the Play-In Tournament on Wednesday were slim.

Based on the injury report, Nurse’s early assumptions were correct. Indeed, Melton will miss the battle for the seventh seed on Wednesday night in South Philly. That will mark a second-straight absence for the guard since he returned on April 9.

It’s too early to tell whether Melton’s season has been cut short or not. While Nurse assumed that the Play-In Tournament might be too soon for Melton to get back into action, he left the door open for a return in the playoffs if all goes right for the 76ers this week.

For now, they’ll compete without the veteran guard. The Sixers will host the Heat at 7 PM ET on Wednesday night. The winner takes the Eastern Conference’s seventh seed. The loser will battle for the eighth seed on Friday night.