Kelly Oubre Jr. suffers left elbow sprain, will miss at least two weeks
Oubre’s injury is another blow to the Sixers (35-30), who are already playing without Tyrese Maxey (right little finger), Joel Embiid (oblique) and Paul George (suspension).
Add Kelly Oubre Jr. to the mounting list of injuries for the 76ers.
Less than 24 hours after his best game of the season, Oubre will miss at least the next two weeks with a left elbow sprain, the team announced Wednesday.
The lateral collateral ligament sprain was revealed by an MRI, the team said. The injury occurred Tuesday during a home win over the Memphis Grizzlies, when Oubre posted season highs in points (30) and rebounds (12) in the first 30-10 double-double of his career.
» READ MORE: Tyrese Maxey will miss at least three weeks with tendon injury to his right little finger
Oubre’s injury is another blow to the Sixers (35-30), who are already playing without All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey (right little finger), former MVP Joel Embiid (oblique) and starting wing Paul George (suspension). Maxey, one of the NBA’s top scorers, will miss at least three weeks, while Embiid is expected to be reevaluated later this week. George is eligible to return from his suspension on March 25.
The Sixers are fighting for Eastern Conference playoff positioning, entering Wednesday in eighth place with 17 games remaining. They were one game behind the seventh-place Orlando Magic and one game ahead of the ninth-place Atlanta Hawks. Oubre’s two-week reevaluation timeline falls around March 25, when the Sixers will have 10 games remaining in the regular season.
Oubre was enjoying perhaps the best season in his 11-year NBA career. He is averaging 14.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 41 games, while shooting a career-high 36.1% from three-point range. He missed about seven weeks earlier this season with a knee injury.
Center Adem Bona, who has become the starter when Embiid is out, is listed as questionable to play in Thursday’s game at the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons with back soreness.
After Thursday’s game at Detroit, the Sixers play a home back-to-back against the Brooklyn Nets and Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday and Sunday, before embarking on a three-game road trip to Denver, Sacramento, and Utah. They’ll do so without four of their top players on the court.