Matisse Thybulle's Playing Status vs. Raptors on Thursday

The Philadelphia 76ers have been relatively healthy. Outside of offering Joel Embiid and James Harden a rest day a couple of weeks back, the Sixers have been fortunate to have their entire starting lineup intact lately as they prepare for the playoffs.

On Thursday, the streak will end, though. As the Sixers traveled to Canada on Wednesday, Philly had no choice but to rule out one of their starters, even though they are not currently dealing with an injury.

Sixers' defensive standout Matisse Thybulle was added to the team's injury report on Wednesday night. He was ruled out as he's "ineligible to play."

While the team did not offer more clarity on Thybulle's sudden status, it's clear that his vaccination status might have something to do with his eventual absence.

As the NBA continues to navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic, there are different rules in different cities across the league. Toronto has stricter rules considering they are in an entirely different country.

Earlier in the season, unvaccinated and unboosted players were eligible to get into Toronto and compete against the Raptors, but the rules changed back in January. And while the Raptors were able to loosen up some of their restrictions in February, Aaron Rose of SI's AllRaptors reported that unvaccinated players remain ineligible to play in Toronto.

With Thybulle out for Thursday's game, the Sixers will have to elevate one of their reserves to the starting lineup. Considering Danny Green started at the small forward position all last season and earlier this season, there is a good chance he's called up to replace the young defensive standout for the night.

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

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