Tyrese Maxey out 3-4 weeks with left foot fracture for Sixers, who were already missing James Harden
The Philadelphia 76ers recorded a big win on Friday, topping the Milwaukee Bucks. They also had a big loss, in the form of standout guard Tyrese Maxey.
Maxey will miss three to four weeks due to a small fracture in his left foot sustained during the Sixers' 110-102 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Maxey's X-rays reportedly came back negative on Friday, but MRIs revealed the true damage on Saturday.
The injury occurred late in the second quarter of Friday's game, with Maxey appearing to roll his ankle after stepping on the foot of Bucks guard Jevon Carter. He quickly limped off the court and did not return.
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An injury to Maxey, who has been averaging career bests in points (22.9), assists (4.4) and rebounds (3.5) per game while shooting 42.2% from 3-point range, is a significant blow to an already shorthanded Sixers backcourt.
Tyrese Maxey isn't Sixers' only backcourt injury
The Sixers were without guards James Harden (foot), Furkan Korkmaz (knee) and Jaden Springer (quad) on Friday.
Harden has been out since Nov. 2 with a foot injury, with an initial timetable of at least a month off the court. The former MVP reportedly said this week he remains on track to come back on schedule, which would mean an early December return.
The good news for the Sixers is they still have Joel Embiid, who has averaged an ungodly 44.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 4.0 blocks during their current three-game winning streak, and their schedule is pretty light for the next few weeks. Their opponents for their next five games: the 7-8 Minnesota Timberwolves, the 7-9 Brooklyn Nets, the 4-13 Charlotte Hornets, and two games against the 5-11 Orlando Magic.
In the meantime, Philadelphia will lean on the likes of Matisse Thybulle, De'Anthony Melton and Shake Milton to handle things up top.