Tyrese Maxey returns to lineup on Saturday against Charlotte Hornets after missing 10 games
The All-Star point guard is back a few days earlier than anticipated from a little finger tendon strain, which he sustained on March 7. The Sixers are getting healthier at the right time.
CHARLOTTE — Tyrese Maxey will make an earlier-than-expected return from a little finger tendon strain for the 76ers’ key matchup at the Hornets Saturday night.
Maxey is back at least a few days earlier than anticipated from the injury sustained in the final seconds of a March 7 loss at the Atlanta Hawks.
On March 10, the Sixers said he would be reevaluated in approximately three weeks. He was listed as questionable on Friday evening’s injury report, after he and coach Nick Nurse offered no indication during their post-practice media sessions earlier in the day that a sooner-than-anticipated return could be imminent.
Nurse added during Saturday’s pregame news conference that Maxey getting a splint that allows him to use his right hand, plus a videoconference with the specialist, are what helped him progress to the verge of returning.
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The All-Star point guard’s return further bolsters a Sixers team getting healthier during the regular season’s stretch run. Before his injury, Maxey ranked fourth in the NBA in scoring (29 points per game) and led the league in minutes played (38.3 per game). He also is averaging 6.7 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and two steals.
Maxey played through an injury to the same finger during a portion of last season, which noticeably hampered his outside shooting before he was shut down in March.
Starting wing Kelly Oubre Jr. is available to return Saturday from an eight-game absence with an elbow sprain. Fellow starters Joel Embiid (oblique) and Paul George (suspension) returned from weeks-long absences for Wednesday’s blowout win over the Chicago Bulls.
The Sixers (40-33) are entering a road trip that could be crucial in determining postseason positioning in a crowded Eastern Conference. They entered Saturday in seventh place, one game ahead of the eighth-place Hornets (39-34) and with the head-to-head tiebreaker on the line.
The Sixers are a half-game behind the sixth-place Hawks (41-33), and one game back of the fifth-place Toronto Raptors (41-32).