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Sixers' Ben Simmons Out vs. Hawks on Monday, Will Undergo Further Testing

Sixers point guard Ben Simmons will miss Monday's game against the Hawks.
Justin Grasso|
Sixers' Ben Simmons Out vs. Hawks on Monday, Will Undergo Further Testing
Sixers' Ben Simmons Out vs. Hawks on Monday, Will Undergo Further Testing

It's been a tough last couple of days for Philadelphia 76ers point guard, Ben Simmons. As he returned from the NBA All-Star break this past Wednesday, the Sixers' guard suffered back pain while attempting to grab a rebound in practice.

After Wednesday's activities, the third-year veteran reported his pain to the Sixers' medical staff and was diagnosed with lower-back tightness. Simmons was listed as questionable for Thursday's game against Brooklyn and eventually was ruled out after experiencing the same tightness on the morning of the matchup.

Initially, it seemed as if Simmons' setback was nothing major as Philly's head coach Brett Brown mentioned he didn't believe the injury was anything significant before the Sixers faced the Brooklyn Nets. And on Saturday afternoon, Simmons was cleared to play in the primetime matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Clearly, the All-Star wasn't one-hundred percent as he planned to take a few trips to the locker room throughout the matchup to keep his back loose. Unfortunately, he experienced the same pain within the first four minutes of the game against the Bucks when attempting to go up for a rebound.

After heading to the locker room, the Sixers ruled Simmons out for the rest of the night and planned an MRI for Sunday morning upon his return back to Philly. According to ESPN NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski, Simmons' initial results weren't enough to determine an official diagnosis or a timetable. Simmons was, however, ruled out already for Monday's game against the Atlanta Hawks. The All-Star will undergo further testing on Monday to determine how serious his injury is.

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

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia

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