Lately, the Philadelphia 76ers have been trending in the right direction from a health standpoint.
While they missed two key starters for a handful of games over the last couple of weeks, the Sixers expect to have most of their starters back in action for Tuesday night’s game against the Chicago Bulls.
However, they will miss a member of their backcourt, as De’Anthony Melton has been ruled out for the matchup early due to a back injury.
What’s the Diagnosis?
According to the Sixers’ injury report, Melton is dealing with lumbar spine soreness. It’s a new setback for the veteran guard, who has been relatively healthy to start the season.
Through the Sixers’ first 32 outings of the year, Melton has been present in all but one of those games. His first absence of the season came against the Toronto Raptors on December 22.
At the time, Melton was questionable with a lower-body injury and eventually downgraded to out. In his absence, the Sixers defeated the Raptors by ten points.
Melton would return to the 76ers’ lineup on Christmas Day. He checked in for 36 minutes in the loss against the Miami Heat. He played throughout the Sixers’ final road trip of 2023.
When the Sixers faced the Chicago Bulls on Saturday, Melton appeared on the court for just 26 minutes. He shot 3-9 from the field, with all of his shots coming from beyond the arc. The veteran finished the game with nine points, three rebounds, and four steals.
The Sixers won’t have Melton on Tuesday night in the rematch against Chicago, which means the starting five will see a small shakeup once again. Fortunately, the team expects to have Nic Batum around once again, and they have upgraded the center Joel Embiid to available after he missed the previous four games.
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