76ers’ PJ Tucker Won’t Play vs. Pistons on Sunday
The Philadelphia 76ers will find themselves without two starters on Sunday afternoon when they take on the Detroit Pistons on the road. Not only will the All-Star center Joel Embiid miss his third-straight matchup due to foot soreness, but Sixers forward PJ Tucker will take the day off as he’s dealing with a non-COVID illness at the moment.
Lately, Tucker’s been dealing with his fair share of setbacks. A couple of weeks ago, the veteran forward revealed that he was dealing with a pinched never in his arm. As a result, the veteran mentioned that he’s had a “dead hand.”
The pinched nerve didn’t take Tucker off the court. After he mentioned the injury on December 23, following a Sixers win over the Los Angeles Clippers, Tucker played in the Sixers’ following three games against the New York Knicks, Washington Wizards, and the New Orleans Pelicans.
Finally, last Saturday, Tucker received a day off. As the Sixers visited the Oklahoma City Thunder on New Year’s Eve, the team added Tucker to the injury report, listing him as questionable due to knee injury recovery. While Tucker didn’t suffer a knee-related setback recently, the veteran forward did undergo surgery in the offseason for a minor procedure.
When Tucker missed the OKC matchup, it was the first game of the year he sat out. The Sixers proceeded to pick up a 19-point win while missing a couple of starters.
Tucker returned to the floor on Monday night to face the New Orleans Pelicans. Then in Wednesday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers, the veteran once again suffered an injury, which he considered to be a contusion following the matchup.
Although Tucker was in pain following the game, he checked in for 20 minutes against the Chicago Bulls on Friday night. It seems the physical setbacks aren’t too concerning for Tucker, but an illness will take him off the floor for just the second time this season on Sunday.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.