Sixers guards Tyrese Maxey and Kyle Lowry will miss game against Detroit Pistons
De'Anthony Melton will be available for the first time since Feb. 27, while Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris are slated to play.
Starting guards Tyrese Maxey (hip tightness) and Kyle Lowry (knee swelling) will miss the 76ers’ game against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night, the team said. De’Anthony Melton (lumbar spine stress) will be available to play for the first time since Feb. 27.
Joel Embiid (knee surgery recovery) and Tobias Harris (knee bruise) will also be available to play against the Pistons, after being listed as questionable. They are projected to start alongside Kelly Oubre Jr., Nico Batum, and Cameron Payne.
Maxey’s absence comes after he scored a career-high 52 points during Sunday’s victory at the San Antonio Spurs. Before that, though, the All-Star guard missed consecutive games against the Toronto Raptors and Oklahoma City Thunder on March 31 and April 2, respectively. Maxey is averaging a career-high 25.9 points and 6.3 assists per game, while shooting 37% on 8.1 three-point attempts per game this season.
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Lowry also missed Sunday’s win in San Antonio, a game Embiid rested his knee on the second night of a back-to-back. Lowry has averaged 8.4 points and 4.6 assists in 21 games since joining the Sixers off the buyout market in February.
Melton was on pace for a career season before his injury, averaging 11.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.6 steals in 36 games while moving into the starting lineup following the James Harden trade. As a disruptive perimeter defender in Nick Nurse’s aggressive system, he was among the NBA’s leaders in steals and deflections before his injury. He has only played in five games since Dec. 30, yet expressed optimism last month in his refined course of treatment.
Embiid has looked strong in his first week back from left knee meniscus surgery, averaging 27.7 points on 50% shooting, 7.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.3 steals, and one block in three games. Harris entered Tuesday averaging 17.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game, but performed inconsistently while shouldering more expectations during Embiid’s absence.
The Sixers enter Tuesday’s matchup with a 44-35 record and in seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings. They are a half-game ahead of the eighth-place Miami Heat, and one game behind the sixth-place Indiana Pacers.