76ers vs. Nets: Nick Nurse Delivers Tyrese Maxey Injury Update

Tyrese Maxey left Monday's matchup between the 76ers and the Nets early. After the game, Nick Nurse delivered an update.

Although the Philadelphia 76ers went winless in their first two preseason matchups against the Boston Celtics, they left both games feeling good about the fact that none of their players suffered setbacks throughout the night.

On Monday, the streak was broken. Unfortunately, the Sixers had to hold out their starting guard, Tyrese Maxey, for the entire second half after he suffered a back injury in the second quarter.

A little under seven minutes into the second quarter, Maxey came off the floor and was clutching at his back. He didn’t sit on the bench for a moment to take a breather. Instead, the young guard went straight back to the Sixers’ locker room to get evaluated.

As time expired in the first half, the Sixers ruled Maxey out for the remainder of the game. The team noted he was dealing with back spasms.

After the game, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse addressed the state of Maxey’s setback. Fortunately, the head coach didn’t offer a reason to be concerned about the former first-rounder’s second-half absence. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Gina Mizell, Maxey was held out “mostly for precautionary reasons.”

For the most part, the Sixers have remained relatively healthy throughout the offseason. While the two reserves, Furkan Korkmaz and Danuel House, are both dealing with lower-body injuries, which have forced them to miss games, the Sixers’ other absences haven’t been injury-related.

Still, the team should remain extra cautious with Maxey moving forward. It’s unclear how they’ll approach the final days leading up to the preseason finale, which takes place on Friday, but the 76ers are likely satisfied with Maxey’s preseason performance this year.

Before checking out on Monday, Maxey hit four of his eight shots from the field, scoring eight points in 15 minutes. In addition to his scoring, the young guard dished out three assists and snatched a steal on the defensive end. 

If Maxey’s preseason run concludes after Monday’s game against the Nets, he wraps up his stint by scoring 16 points per game on 48 percent shooting from the field in 24 minutes per matchup. While his three-point percentage was down to 28 percent after a rather hot start to the preseason from deep, Maxey’s overall performance reminded the Sixers that their backcourt is in good hands as long as he’s in the mix. 

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