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Tyrese Maxey sidelined with mild concussion, must clear NBA protocol before return

The All-Star point guard has returned to Philly to be further evaluated. Maxey took a shot to the back of his head in Sunday's game.

Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey holding his head Sunday as Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (left) and Kelly Oubre Jr. look on.
Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey holding his head Sunday as Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (left) and Kelly Oubre Jr. look on.Read moreGareth Patterson / AP
    by Keith Pompey
    Updated 
    Published 

NEW YORK — Tyrese Maxey has a mild concussion that could sideline him for a few games.

The 76ers’ All-Star missed Tuesday night’s game against the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center to undergo further evaluation in Philadelphia after experiencing concussion-like symptoms on Monday and Tuesday. It was determined that he was concussed during Tuesday’s game after further evaluation.

While there’s no timeline for his return, Maxey has to clear a five-step protocol before being cleared to play.

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“I would assume he’s going to be out tomorrow,” coach Nick Nurse said ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies at the Wells Fargo Center. “We’re not rushing it. This kind of stuff you can’t rush. You don’t rush him.”

After facing the Grizzlies, the Sixers will host the New Orleans Pelicans Friday before traveling back to the Big Apple for a two-game series against the New York Knicks on Sunday and Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. From there, they’ll have the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday at Fiserv Forum.

Maxey was hurt when he drove through the lane, fell to the court, and was inadvertently struck in the back of the head in the third quarter of Sunday’s victory over the Dallas Mavericks. He was examined by attending physicians and cleared to return. Doctors reassessed the fourth-year veteran after the game and declared him symptom-free.

But given Maxey’s symptoms in the days after the game, he was ruled out against the Nets.

“It’s a delayed mild concussion, so ... they didn’t really see the symptoms right away,” Nurse said. “And he wakes up the next day and they’re there.”

It’s a tough blow for a Sixers squad already playing without Joel Embiid (left knee surgery), De’Anthony Melton (spine), and Robert Covington (left knee bone bruise).

Maxey is averaging career highs in points (26.0 per game), assists (6.3), rebounds (3.7), and steals (1.0). He scored a season-high 51 points against the Utah Jazz on Feb. 1. The Sixers guard also had 50 points against the Indiana Pacers on Nov. 12, and has scored 30 or more points 17 times this season.

Kyle Lowry, Cameron Payne, and two-way addition Jeff Dowtin Jr. are the Sixers’ available point guards against the Nets. Lowry started alongside Maxey the past two games and Dowtin is with the team in Brooklyn, while Payne is questionable after missing Sunday’s game with an illness.