Sixers’ Tyrese Maxey sits out the game against the Raptors with hip tightness
The All-Star guard has been the Sixers’ primary offensive option during Joel Embiid’s absence, averaging 25.6 and 6.2 assists.
TORONTO — Tyrese Maxey will miss the 76ers’ Sunday road matchup against the Raptors with left hip tightness, the team said.
Maxey was added to the injury report earlier Sunday. The All-Star guard has been the Sixers’ primary offensive option during Joel Embiid’s absence, averaging 25.6 and 6.2 assists per game entering Sunday. He also has had some of the best performances of his career against the Raptors, including a then-career-high 44 points in Toronto in October 2022.
Without Maxey, Kyle Lowry will be the Sixers’ primary ballhandler in his return to Toronto. The former Raptors star, who won the 2019 NBA championship while playing under now-Sixers coach Nick Nurse, entered Sunday averaging 8.6 points and 4.5 assists in 17 games since joining the Sixers off the buyout market. Cameron Payne will join the starting lineup as another point guard option, while Buddy Hield can also be a complementary playmaker off the bench.
The Sixers enter Sunday with a 39-35 record, in eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings. The Raptors are on a 12-game losing skid.