Philadelphia 76ers Injury Report (Dec. 29): Latest on Tyrese Maxey and Robert Covington’s availability
The Philadelphia 76ers will have Tyrese Maxey and Robert Covington for Friday night’s game against the Houston Rockets. Maxey has been a stud for Philly this season, playing all but one of the team’s 30 games. Without Joel Embiid, who is dealing with a sprained ankle, the point guard’s presence will be even more valuable.
Covington was removed from the injury list heading into the 76ers game against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday. The backup forward has been dealing with a non-COVID-related illness and sat out Philly’s game on Dec. 20 versus the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Robert Covington will provide frontline depth in the absence of Embiid and Nic Batum. “RoCo” can also be plugged into any of the forward spots if Nick Nurse wants to vary his lineup. Covington did it before when Batum and Kelly Oubre Jr. were both sidelined with different injuries.
What happened to Tyrese Maxey and Robert Covington?
Tyrese Maxey missed his only game this season on Dec. 1 against the Boston Celtics due to a non-COVID-related illness. He was on the injury list for a couple of days after that but was eventually cleared to play. Fortunately for the Philadelphia 76ers, their emerging star hasn’t had any healthy issues since.
Robert Covington recently suffered what Maxey had to go through early last month. Covington battled illness and was forced to sit out in Philly’s encounter with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Dec. 20. The versatile forward has been healthy over the past few days and will be ready when his number is called.
Nick Nurse has used Covington alongside Paul Reed or on certain occasions with Tobias Harris in small ball rotations. In the win against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, Covington came off the bench to contribute two points, two assists, two steals, and one rebound in 11 minutes.
Tyrese Maxey and Robert Covington’s stats vs the Houston Rockets
In three games against the Houston Rockets, Tyrese Maxey has averaged 16.0 points, 4.3 assists and 3.7 rebounds. His numbers are expected to get a boost on Friday as the Philadelphia 76ers will be without Joel Embiid, the back-to-back scoring champ and reigning MVP.
Maxey will also be the 76ers’ main playmaker, making it possible for him to improve his career versus the Rockets.
Robert Covington has played 19 games against the Houston Rockets. He has averaged 10.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals.