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Sixers Notes: Sixers' Young sorry about Lopez's broken foot

MILWAUKEE - Thaddeus Young is remorseful. The 76ers power forward learned during Saturday morning's team meeting that Brooklyn center Brook Lopez broke his right foot against the Sixers Friday night. The thing that disturbed Young is that he might have contributed to his close friend's injury, which is believed to be season-ending.

Thaddeus Young (top) fouls the Nets' Brook Lopez. (Ron Cortes/Staff Photographer)
Thaddeus Young (top) fouls the Nets' Brook Lopez. (Ron Cortes/Staff Photographer)Read more

MILWAUKEE - Thaddeus Young is remorseful.

The 76ers power forward learned during Saturday morning's team meeting that Brooklyn center Brook Lopez broke his right foot against the Sixers Friday night. The thing that disturbed Young is that he might have contributed to his close friend's injury, which is believed to be season-ending.

The two collided with about 4 minutes, 20 seconds left in the fourth quarter of the Sixers' 121-120 overtime victory at the Wells Fargo Center.

"It probably happened on that play," Young said before Saturday's game against Milwaukee at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. "I did see him grab his right foot when it happened. It was just one of those things - we were both trying to take a hard foul.

"I think Evan [Turner] swiped at him. And I was kind of like in midair as he was coming down."

Both players crashed to the floor. It didn't seem like a big deal at the time. The 7-footer went on to play the rest of regulation and in the overtime session.

He finished with 22 points and seven rebounds in 44 minutes of action.

However, it turned out Lopez suffered a fracture to the fifth metatarsal in his right foot. It's the same foot that required three surgeries in the previous two years.

"I'm not even sure what happened," Young said. "I just know we got tangled up, and I helped him up. Brook is actually a good friend of mine. We've [known] each other since the 10th grade."

Lopez was averaging 20.7 points and six rebounds this season. He was regarded as the Nets' most productive player.

He was "having a great season and with a loaded team that has a chance to make a playoff push," Young said of Lopez. "It's a bad way to go out. I'm sorry I had to be the one to break his foot if I did, or that it had to be in our game."

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