As the Philadelphia 76ers look to battle back and even up their first-round series with the New York Knicks on Monday night, they may be without at least one of their most important players.
Per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey missed the Sixers’ shootaround Monday morning as he’s suffering from an illness. He’s listed as questionable for the game.
Maxey played a game-high 44 minutes in Philadelphia’s Game 1 loss on Saturday and came away with a game-high 33 points as he tried to will the team back from a double-digit halftime deficit.
Bontemps also noted that Sixers center and 2023 NBA MVP Joel Embiid was on hand for the shootaround. Embiid briefly left Saturday’s loss after landing awkwardly on his leg in the first half and was also poked in the eye during the game. He’s also listed as questionable for Monday night’s game. Embiid still managed to play 37 minutes in the loss, flirting with a triple-double and ending the night with 29 points, eight rebounds, and six assists.
If the Knicks can go up 2-0 in the series before heading back to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Thursday night, it would be their first time going up 2-0 in a playoff series since their 2013 First Round meeting with the Boston Celtics and just second time going up 2-0 since 2000.
Game 2 is scheduled to start Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT.
[ESPN]
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