kelly oubre jr was on the floor in Atlanta when Tyrese Maxey went down late in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 125-116 loss to the Hawks, a moment that immediately jolted the team’s playoff push. The collision came in the waning moments of Saturday night’s game at State Farm Arena, with Maxey visibly in pain on the court. By Sunday, the 76ers announced Maxey has a sprained fifth finger on his right hand and will miss the team’s next two games, with additional testing still ahead.
Injury update: sprained right fifth finger, two-game absence announced
The 76ers’ Sunday statement set the immediate timeline: Tyrese Maxey is out for the next two games after suffering a sprain of the right fifth finger. The team added that Maxey will undergo additional testing and consultation in the coming days to determine a treatment plan, and that an update is expected after the team’s upcoming back-to-back.
The injury happened in the final minute in Atlanta. Maxey went for a steal and collided in the paint with teammate Adem Bona. Maxey immediately grabbed his right hand in pain and walked off the floor with 16. 2 seconds remaining, holding his hand under his jersey as he headed toward the locker room.
Kelly Oubre Jr on the collision and what Maxey means to the Sixers
kelly oubre jr said he saw the collision between Maxey and Bona, then saw Maxey writhing on the floor in obvious pain. Oubre Jr. said he quietly said a prayer to himself, something he said he always does when he sees an injury during an NBA game.
“He’s meant everything to us, ” Kelly Oubre Jr. said Saturday night. “He’s carried us this season. He’s set such a good example for us this season as a hard worker. He’s been the heart and soul of our team. We need him. ”
Trendon Watford, speaking Saturday night, underscored the locker room’s reaction to losing a player the roster has leaned on throughout the season.
“He means everything to us, ” Watford said. “This is Tyrese Maxey we’re talking about. He means everything to us. So, anytime a guy like that goes down, it’s scary. ”
After the game Saturday night, Maxey was in the locker room holding casual conversation with Joel Embiid and Trendon Watford, ate some food, got dressed, and seemed to be in good spirits. Still, the team’s statement did not guarantee a return immediately after the two-game absence.
Standings pressure rises as Philadelphia slips to eighth
Saturday night’s loss carried real consequences in the East. Philadelphia led by double digits for much of the first half, but the third quarter swung the game and the Hawks closed better down the stretch. With the defeat, the 76ers fell into the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference, just 1. 5 games ahead of the ninth-seeded Hawks, who also hold the season tiebreaker between the teams.
That margin matters because the team is already short-handed. Embiid is out for at least the next three games. Rookie guard VJ Edgecombe has missed the past two games. Paul George has nine games remaining on an NBA-mandated 25-game suspension.
What’s next: back-to-back tests depth, update expected after it
The immediate schedule is set: the 76ers play the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday (ET) and the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday (ET), then return Thursday night (ET) to face the Detroit Pistons. Maxey is officially out for the first two, and the team has said further updates will come after the back-to-back.
For Philadelphia, the next steps hinge on medical clarity. Until additional testing and consultation are complete, the team’s only firm marker is the two-game absence—and the urgency of keeping pace in a tight playoff race where kelly oubre jr has already made clear how central Maxey is to everything the Sixers are trying to do.
