Philadelphia 76ers star Tyrese Maxey left their matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers early on Monday night after taking a hard fall and landing directly on his back.
Maxey tried to rise up for a reverse layup midway through the third quarter of the game at the Wells Fargo Center, though he was off the mark after he collided with a pair of Portland defenders under the rim. Maxey landed hard on his back and was in a lot of pain instantly as play went the other way.
He remained down for some time, and both 76ers players and staff came over to help him once play stopped. He was eventually helped up and walked off the court very slowly on his own back to the locker room.
The team then ruled him out with a back contusion. Further specifics of the injury are not yet known.
Maxey had five points and six assists when he went down. He shot just 2-of-13 from the field and 1-of-7 from behind the arc, too.
Maxey entered Monday’s game averaging a career-high 26.7 points and 6.1 assists while playing 38 minutes per game this season, his fifth with the 76ers. The 24-year-old signed a five-year, $204 million extension with the team last summer.
Maxey’s injury comes amid a rough stretch for the 76ers, who already lost star Joel Embiid for the rest of the year due to his lingering left knee injury. Embiid played in just 19 games this season. The 76ers entered Monday’s game with just a 21-38 record. They have lost nine of their last 10 games, too, and now are on pace to miss the playoffs for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign.
This post will be updated with more information shortly.
