Philadelphia 76ers star Tyrese Maxey left the team’s 119-102 loss to 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 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 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.
Despite trailing at halftime, the Trail Blazers outscored Philadelphia by 15 points in the third quarter before surging ahead to grab the 17-point win on Monday night. Anfernee Simons led the way with 34 points while shooting 6-of-11 from behind the arc, and Shaedon Sharpe added 20 points and 11 rebounds. That pushed Portland to 28-34 on the season and marked their fifth win in six games.
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 now hold a 21-39 record after Monday’s loss. They have lost 10 of their last 11 games and now are on pace to miss the playoffs for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign.
