Fred VanVleet's Playing Status vs. Sixers on Thursday

The Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors are set to face each other for the fourth and final time during the regular season on Thursday night.

Considering the Sixers currently place fourth in the Eastern Conference, and the Raptors are sitting in the fifth seed, Thursday's game could look like a preview of the first round of the playoffs for both teams.

However, it won't be an exact preview. While the Sixers are healthy going into Thursday's game as they don't have any players battling any injuries, Philadelphia will miss its starting small forward, Matisse Thybulle.

As of Wednesday night, Thybulle was ruled ineligible to play in Toronto as the city has yet to lift its restrictions that prevent unvaccinated players from playing at Scotiabank Arena.

Outside of Thybulle, the Sixers will have all of their regulars on the floor. The same can't be said for the Toronto Raptors, though. Currently, Toronto has four players out as they are G League assignees. In addition, the Raptors ruled out Yuta Watanabe due to quadriceps soreness.

Also, the Raptors listed their standout forward OG Anunoby on the injury report as doubtful as he deals with a quadriceps contusion. According to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Anunoby will not get the nod to play on Thursday night. And neither will Toronto's All-Star guard, Fred VanVleet.

VanVleet Gets the Night Off

Fred VanVleet wasn't initially on Toronto's injury report, but the Raptors ruled him out a couple of hours before tip-off. Per Pompey, VanVleet is getting a rest night against the Sixers on Thursday.

The last time the Sixers faced the Raptors, Toronto missed Anunoby and VanVleet. Despite being shorthanded, the Raptors got the best of the Sixers and came out on top with a 93-88 win.

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

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