Sixers' Matisse Thybulle Diagnosed With Right Shoulder Sprain

Sixers will be without Thybulle for at least a week originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Matisse Thybulle has hit another bump in an uneven 2021-22 season.

A Sixers official said Sunday that an MRI on Thybulle’s sore right shoulder revealed a sprain. He’ll be reevaluated in approximately one week.

Thybulle suffered the injury during the Sixers’ win Friday over the Celtics, a game in which he tied his career high of five steals and played outstanding defense on Jayson Tatum. 

He lost his balance and thudded to the ground after a third-quarter dunk, though the third-year wing stayed in the game for about five more minutes. Boston guard Dennis Schroder touched Thybulle in the back as he went up for the slam and was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul.

Thybulle has missed a total of nine games this season because of two separate stints in the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols. He’s again been among the league’s premier perimeter defenders when available. He ranks first in steal percentage and block percentage among wings for a second straight season, per Cleaning the Glass. Opponents, many of them stars like Tatum, Stephen Curry and Zach LaVine, have shot 35.7 percent with Thybulle guarding them. That’s No. 1 for players who have appeared in at least 20 games.

The Sixers started Furkan Korkmaz in a comeback victory Saturday against the Heat with Thybulle out. The team will still be without Danny Green (right hip pain) and Shake Milton (back contusion) for a Monday afternoon matchup with the Wizards. Joel Embiid, who played brilliantly through right elbow soreness in Miami, was not listed on the injury report. Tobias Harris said Wednesday he’s been playing through right shoulder pain since mid-November.

Like Thybulle, Milton also isn’t expected back soon. Sixers head coach Doc Rivers said Friday that the 25-year-old was “really struggling” and called his injury “pretty significant.” The Washington game will be the Sixers’ seventh straight without Milton.

Isaiah Joe and Charlie Brown Jr. entered Rivers’ rotation Saturday. Brown spent time on Tyler Herro, and he again impressed with his defensive talent and energy. He now looks set for further opportunities in light of Thybulle’s shoulder sprain.

The Wizards said Sunday that Davis Bertans will be available against the Sixers after missing a game with a left foot sprain. Star guard Bradley Beal, who’s missed three consecutive games, was listed as questionable because of health and safety protocols. 

Washington will enter the Martin Luther King Jr. Day game at 22-21. The Sixers have won nine of their last 10 games and sit at 25-17, fifth in the Eastern Conference and 2.5 games behind the first-place Bulls.