76ers Downgrade Another Player on Injury Report vs Rockets

The Philadelphia 76ers have downgraded Caleb Martin against the Rockets.

Nov 24, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac (40) and Philadelphia 76ers forward Caleb Martin (16) battle for a loose ball in the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

As if the Philadelphia 76ers’ injury report wasn’t crowded enough, the team added a new name this week as they head into their Wednesday night matchup against the Houston Rockets.

The veteran forward Caleb Martin has been downgraded to questionable. According to a team official, Martin did not participate in the Sixers’ Tuesday morning practice session. He is currently dealing with upper back soreness, per the NBA report.

Martin joins Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Kyle Lowry on the injury report.

The fact that Martin is dealing with a setback doesn’t come as a surprise. When the Sixers battled it out against the Brooklyn Nets last week, Martin left the court for the locker room on multiple occasions. He took a hard fall before he exited for a second time.

Caleb Martin (back) questionable for Wednesday.

— Underdog NBA (@Underdog__NBA) November 26, 2024

It wasn’t until the SIxers’ Sunday night loss against the Los Angeles Clippers that Martin saw his playing time take a hit. As the Sixers struggled to keep up with the Clippers, Nick Nurse decided to cut his minutes. Martin ended up appearing on the court for just 13 minutes against the Clippers.

“He had the hard fall the other night, his back was sore,” Nurse said on Sunday. “It wasn’t enough to keep him out. There’s nothing in the pictures to show there’s anything seriously wrong. He’s just playing through a lot of pain, and obviously, he was struggling as well on top of that. We just tried to not go too far.”

When Martin checked out of Sunday’s 26-point loss, he had just three points on 1-8 shooting from the field.

Leading up to Sunday’s game, Martin has appeared on the court for an average of 33 minutes for the Sixers. He is producing ten points, five rebounds, three assists, one steal, and nearly one block per game for the Sixers. While he’s been struggling with his three-point shot, making just 31 percent of his attempts so far, the Sixers have been pleased with Martin’s overall contributions so far.

Wednesday’s game against Houston could mark the first time Martin sits for the Sixers this week. He’s likely a game-time decision. The Sixers and the Rockets are set to tip off at 7 PM ET.