It’s been a whirlwind week for the Sixers (well, it’s been a whirlwind few seasons honestly, but who’s counting?).
After starting with most of their starting lineup sidelined on Monday, things ended on a very high note come Saturday night with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George all available for the Sixers’ gutsy win over the Charlotte Hornets. It was Maxey’s first game back since suffering a tendon injury in his pinky back on March 7. The guard actually returned earlier than the team expected, with Maxey originally being set to be reassessed this upcoming week. He looked damn good in his return, too, putting up 26 points on 10-for-18 field goal and 3-for-6 long range shooting with seven rebounds, eight assists, one steal and one block in 43 minutes. He also had this beautiful poster on Miles Bridges.
Embiid and George returned earlier this week and continue to thrive with their fresh legs after long hiatuses due to an oblique injury and suspension, respectively. George added 26 points and season-high 13 rebounds Saturday and Embiid led with 29 points. Even more impressive was this late, ultimately game-clinching block from the big fella. (And yes, we all gasped at his landing. That’s part of why the next paragraph here is so important!)
The even more encouraging news came on Sunday, when none of the trio reappeared on the injury list. With guys returning after long breaks, it’s understandable to hold your breath after a return, waiting to hear if the player responded well to their first day back to game-action.
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That, fortunately, seems that is the case here, with the Sixers set to be full-strength in their next game on Monday against the Miami Heat, according to the team’s early injury report posted Sunday evening. This might actually be one of the cleanest injury reports the Sixers have posted in seasons, especially late in a season, with only Johni Broome (knee surgery) out.
We consider that “full-strength” here because… well, with all due respect to Broome, he does not exactly affect the strength of Sixers at this point.
It’s a great time to be healthy, too, as Philadelphia faces yet another major Eastern Conference matchup on Monday, taking on the Heat for the season tiebreaker. The Heat, who have gone 1-1 against the Sixers so far this season, are currently two games behind Philly in the East. They’ve been struggling as of late, losing six of their last seven.
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Just eight games remain in the regular season, with the Sixers sitting 41-33 (Go Birds) for No. 7 in the East at the time of writing. They’re in reaching grasp of the No. 5 seed in the East, just half a game behind the Atlanta Hawks (No. 6, 42-33) and the Toronto Raptors (No. 5, 41-32).
The Sixers and Heat will tip off in Miami on Monday at 7 p.m. ET.