76ers vs. Hawks: PJ Tucker Could Miss Thursday’s Matchup

PJ Tucker's status for Thursday's game is unclear.

The Philadelphia 76ers knew they would enter Thursday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks shorthanded. While they are expected to get Danuel House Jr. back in the mix and got Joel Embiid back on Monday night, the star guard James Harden remains off the floor.

Last Wednesday, Harden suffered a foot injury in the loss against the Washington Wizards. After the game, Harden was diagnosed with a tendon strain in his right foot. The Sixers announced he would be re-evaluated in two weeks, and reports indicated he’s expected to miss a month’s worth of games.

Harden won’t make it out on the floor on Thursday night, but he might not be the only one. According to the Sixers’ injury report, the team added the veteran forward PJ Tucker as he’s been downgraded to questionable.

Per the Sixers, Tucker is dealing with a left hip contusion. It’s unclear when Tucker started dealing with the contusion, but the veteran did participate in Sixers practice on Wednesday morning before the team traveled to Atlanta for Thursday night’s game.

This year, Tucker has started in all 11 games for the 76ers. While he spends most of his time at power forward playing alongside Tobias Harris and Joel Embiid in the front court, Tucker had spent some time playing center while Embiid was off the floor.

Through 11 games, Tucker has averaged 28 minutes on the court. During that time, he’s put up five points per game while shooting 45 percent from three on two attempts per game. In addition to his scoring, Tucker has come down with 4.6 rebounds per game.

The good news about Tucker’s latest setback is that it’s not related to his knee. In the offseason, Tucker underwent a minor knee surgery, which made it difficult for him to feel one hundred percent physically right away this year.

While he’s avoided any knee-related setbacks this season, a hip injury could sideline Tucker for the first time this year when the 76ers take on the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday night. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.