76ers SG Matisse Thybulle to be ineligible for road playoff games vs. Raptors
The Philadelphia 76ers clinched the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs on Sunday and will take on the fifth-seeded Toronto Raptors in the first round. When they travel north of the border for Games 3 and 4, and a potential Game 6, they'll be down a crucial member of their rotation, but not due to injury.
Thybulle was ruled ineligible for the Sixers' third-to-last game of the regular season on Thursday in Toronto. Due to Canada's coronavirus restrictions, many had come to the conclusion that Thybulle is unvaccinated, thus leading to his ineligibility for games in Toronto.
According to a report by Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer last week, only two Philadelphia players were unvaccinated, with Thybulle allegedly being one of them. The other player was Ben Simmons -- who was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in February and has since been vaccinated, per Pompey.
Thybulle gave an update on his vaccination status following the team's win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday.
Largely thought of as one of the best defensive players on the 76ers, Thybulle was named Second-Team All-Defense last season and is fourth in the NBA this year at 1.8 steals per game. He's also averaged career highs in points (5.7), rebounds (2.3) and minutes per contest (25.4) this campaign while shooting a career-best 49.7% from the field as well.
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