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Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey exited Friday night’s preseason finale against the Orlando Magic with a thumb contusion and will not return to the game, per PHLY’s Derek Bodner.
PHLY’s Kyle Neubeck reported he believed Maxey’s exit to be “just a precaution.”
Maxey had recorded one assist and missed one shot in five minutes on the court prior to exiting the game.
The 76ers open the regular season on Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Maxey made four preseason appearances, averaging 14.3 points in 20.3 minutes per game, heading into the contest in Orlando.
His exit from Friday’s game marks the continuation of preseason injury woes that have been plaguing the Sixers heading into the 2024-25 campaign.
The 76ers announced last Sunday that Sixers veteran Joel Embiid would not play during the preseason due to left knee injury management. Embiid was limited to 39 games last year after hurting his knee in January.
Star offseason signing Paul George then suffered a bone bruise after hyperextending his left knee during Monday’s preseason win at the Atlanta Hawks.
Most recently 2024 first-round pick Jared McCain suffered a pulmonary contusion, or bruised lungs, after a hard fall during Wednesday’s preseason action against the Brooklyn Nets.
These preseason injuries have left the Sixers with Kelly Oubre Jr. and Caleb Martin as the only healthy starters with five days left until the season opener.
Should the Sixers stars remain sidelined, reserve players like Eric Gordon, Andre Drummond and KJ Martin will be called on to step up in their absence. The trio started on Friday against the Magic with Embiid, George and McCain out of the lineup.
Given the potentially precautionary nature of Maxey’s exit, 76ers fans can hope to see him back in action on Wednesday. Maxey’s return would mark a huge boost for the potentially injury-strained Sixers offense following his 25.9-point-per game campaign as the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2023-24.
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