Tag: De’Anthony Melton

De’Anthony Melton explains why he’s fighting to return to help Sixers

De’Anthony Melton explains why he’s continuing to fight for a return to the floor to help the Philadelphia 76ers despite his back issue.

CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers are returning home for games 3 and 4 in their first-round series with the New York Knicks down 2-0 in the series, but help could be on the way.

De’Anthony Melton, who hasn’t played since April 12 due to a bothersome back issue, returned to practice on Wednesday afternoon. He has played only seven games in the 2024 calendar year and is continuing to fight to get back on the court to help his team.

“The last couple days — yesterday, I was able to get up and down and get some live action in,” said Melton on Wednesday. “That was really good for me and my body. Today, I went through practice. So I’m feeling good. I’m feeling good for the game tomorrow and we’ll see how it goes.”

One has to wonder why Melton continues fighting back and returning to the floor. He will be a free agent in the offseason and one figures that he would sit back and prepare for free agency to prevent further injury.

Not in this case. Melton wants to dig deep and continue to be there for the Sixers in the playoffs.

“I feel like when this team is fully healthy and we’ve got everybody going, I feel like we’re the best team in the league,” he explained. “We’ve all felt like that. Even at the beginning of the year, understand we have had a lot of trades, but honestly, we’ve gotten better after the trade deadline so just being able to attach myself to that, we can be an elite team.”

In terms of what is slowing him down in his return to the floor, Melton revealed it’s been the day after stuff. A day after he puts in a tough workout and things of that nature, the Sixers are wary of that.

“It’s more so the next day stuff,” he added. “The soreness in my back and stuff like that. … With the playoffs here pretty much, that’s when we’ll figure it out so I can be out there and help my team.”

Game 3 against the Knicks is set for 7:30 p.m. EDT on Thursday.

[lawrence-related id=94162,94156,94159]

Nick Nurse enjoying having De’Anthony Melton as an option for Sixers

Coach Nick Nurse is enjoying De’Anthony Melton return as an option for the Philadelphia 76ers.

CAMDEN, N.J. — De’Anthony Melton returned from a 21-game absence in Tuesday’s win over the Detroit Pistons and his presence on the floor is a big boost for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Melton is a long and athletic defender who can give the Sixers a spark on the perimeter defensively. His return will help Philadelphia in the playoffs when it inevitably has to face the likes of Jalen Brunson, Damian Lillard, Jayson Tatum, and others in the playoffs.

On top of his defensive acumen, Melton helps Tyrese Maxey and Kyle Lowry when it comes to ball-handling duties and being an offensive option out on the floor.

“Listen, options are always good, depth is always good, versatility is always good,” coach Nick Nurse said at practice on Thursday. “He gives us some of that. He’s a little different than Tyrese and Kyle, and he’s a little different than Kelly (Oubre Jr.), and he’s a little different than Nico (Batum) — all these guys that we throw at all these guards, and he’s certainly got some experience. That’s the main thing. So I’m trying to remain optimistic that he’s going to keep progressing forward.”

Nurse likes the options he has at the moment for the Sixers, but it doesn’t hurt to have other options. That’s where Melton comes in as he looks to make an impact for Philadelphia down the line in the playoffs. There may be a series where Nurse uses Melton more than another.

“I feel pretty good about the guys we’ve got in there right now and the depth we’ve got in there,” Nurse added. “So I’m probably more casting an eye down the line. If we make any kind of run, he can continue to get healthier and build, and a lot of that stuff, as you guys know, sometimes goes series by series. Maybe there’s a series where we need a little more perimeter defending, and maybe there’s a series we don’t.”

In his return against the Pistons on Tuesday, Melton only shot 2-for-9 overall and 1-for-5 from deep, but he looked like he was in shape and could be a big help for the Sixers right now.

“I thought he looked not as far out of shape or out of rhythm,” Nurse explained. “He maybe didn’t make as many shots, but it wasn’t like he was air-balling them. The release was good, the bounce was good, the setup was good. I think that’s just a matter of (getting) a little bit more time out there. So it’s always nice to have an extra guy.”

As far as Melton’s health is concerned, Nurse said the veteran guard felt OK. It’s just all about managing it at this point.

“I just talked to him,” Nurse finished. “He said he feels ‘fine.’ He’s not doing cartwheels up and down the court today or anything, but he’s fine. I think it’s a bit of a process yet. We’ll throw him out there tomorrow for longer, if we can. We certainly want to get him some extended minutes to see how far we can go with it, and to see what point he’s at when it gets to time to use him for real.”

[lawrence-related id=93562,93558,93551]

Sixers’ De’Anthony Melton reacts to making return in win over Pistons

Philadelphia 76ers guard De’Anthony Melton reacted to his return after a win over the Detroit Pistons at home.

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers handled the Detroit Pistons rather easily on Tuesday night at home, 120-102. Philadelphia received a big performance from Joel Embiid, but the Sixers grew a bit healthier as well.

De’Anthony Melton, who hadn’t played since Feb. 27 due to a back issue, returned and had five points, three assists, three rebounds and two steals in 16 minutes off the bench.

“Honestly, it felt great,” Melton said of being back. “It felt great to just be out there with my teammates. Being in coverages, moving around. I feel like that’s the stuff I needed just to see where I’m at.”

Melton shot 2-for-9 overall and 1-for-5 from deep on Tuesday, but the fact he was able to be out there is a big help.

“He was great,” Embiid said. “He sucked today (he was joking), but it was great to have him, but he’s gonna be a big piece. As we’re getting healthy. Just what he adds. Shot-making ability, defense, a little bit of playmaking, too. Another guard. I think he’s gonna help us a lot.”

The veteran out of USC has been dealing with a back issue since New Year’s. He missed time with the lumbar spine issue and returned, only to have the issue worsen until it sidelined him starting Feb. 27.

Now, he’s looking to return and help the Sixers down the stretch and in the playoffs.

“Just taking it a little slower,” Melton said of his recent treatment. “Changing up my treatment and what I had to do and when I had to do it. All that type stuff just played a factor into it. Taking some medication that definitely helped my back. All that stuff just accumulated for me to play today.”

For coach Nick Nurse and the Sixers, the key is to continue to get Melton these minutes and build him up for the playoffs. With two games left, that is the focus for the 3-and-D guard.

“I think the main thing I thought he looked very good movement-wise,” said Nurse. “I think he was springy and quick and stuff like that. Obviously, he didn’t shoot the ball well, but he took all really good shots. You would expect- he hasn’t played in a long time. He came back for a couple of games and if you take those two out it’s been a really long time. So, I think just movement-wise. he looked good and that’s a main thing.”

[lawrence-related id=93485,93477,93474]

Sixers vs. Pistons: De’Anthony Melton, others to play, Tyrese Maxey out

De’Anthony Melton and others are officially available for the Philadelphia 76ers against the Detroit Pistons while Tyrese Maxey is out.

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers will play host to the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night with work to do. With three games left in the regular season, the Sixers are looking to move up the standings in the Eastern Conference and climb out of the play-in tournament.

The Sixers will be short-handed against the Pistons. Robert Covington remains out, but Tyrese Maxey and Kyle Lowry are joining him on the sidelines. Maxey is dealing with left hip tightness, and Lowry is dealing with a left knee effusion.

As for De’Anthony Melton, he is set to return and play in his first game since Feb. 27 due to lumbar spine bone stress. Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris are also available against the Pistons.

“I think it would be very limited, but right now, I just wanna see him get out there and play,” coach Nick Nurse said of Melton pregame. “We know what he brings to the team. He’s been around here for a little bit, but just to get him out there and see what he’s doing from an initial starting point is the main thing right now.”

Tipoff from the Wells Fargo Center is set for 7 p.m. EDT.

[lawrence-related id=93471,93468,93430]

Complete injury report for De’Anthony Melton, Sixers vs. Pistons

Here is the complete injury report for De’Anthony Melton and the Philadelphia 76ers against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday.

The Philadelphia 76ers return home for the final three games of the 2023-24 season looking to climb out of the play-in tournament. The Sixers have won five in a row and are a game behind the sixth-place Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference.

The Sixers will host the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday and look to take advantage of a struggling basketball team.

On the injury report, Robert Covington remains out due to a left knee bone bruise.

De’Anthony Melton (lumbar spine bone stress) had not played since Feb. 27, but he has been upgraded to questionable against the Pistons. His return would be a big help to Philadelphia.

Joel Embiid (left knee injury recovery), Tyrese Maxey (left hip tightness), Tobias Harris (left knee contusion) and Kyle Lowry (left knee effusion) also join Melton under the questionable tag against the Pistons.

Tipoff with the Pistons is 7 p.m. EDT on Tuesday from the Wells Fargo Center.

[lawrence-related id=93426,93423,93420]

Nick Nurse gives latest updates on De’Anthony Melton, Robert Covington

Philadelphia 76ers coach Nick Nurse gives the latest updates on the injured De’Anthony Melton and Robert Covington.

MIAMI — The Philadelphia 76ers welcomed back Joel Embiid from his long injury recovery and that was a big help to the franchise, but there are two other key pieces still missing from the lineup: De’Anthony Melton and Robert Covington.

Melton, a starter for this group, has not played since Feb. 27 due to lumbar spine bone stress. He has played only five games since Dec. 30. It was initially lumbar spine soreness and then he returned on Feb. 23 and played three games before leaving on Feb. 27 in a loss to the Boston Celtics.

Covington has not played since Dec. 30 due to a left knee bone bruise.

The Sixers haven’t ruled them out for the season just yet, but when considering how little time is left, it may come to that.

“I think we’re still trying with both of them, right?” coach Nick Nurse. “I think we’re still trying. I think they’re getting on the court. That’s always a good sign so I think they’re still a little ways away. I think there’s some—once you get on the court and go through some stuff—there’s always some time that needs to pass and they gotta play against live competition, all that kind of stuff, so we’re trying. I don’t think we’ll rule them out unless we absolutely have to for good, but we’ll see.”

Melton and Covington have to be able to overcome some obstacles before they can make their return to the floor. Obstacles such as getting over the swelling and getting over some pain in order to return, but with time running out on the season, one has to wonder if they will be able to make that return.

“For sure,” Nurse added. “I think they’re just trying to get better and see if they are better, if they can tolerate things, if the injury reoccurs, get some swelling, or whatever the case may be. It’s two different things kind of. So yeah, that’d be the case.”

Melton will be a free agent in the offseason and he was having a terrific season before the injury. He was averaging 11.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists along with 1.6 steals per game. He is a guy who can contribute on both ends of the floor and it’s tough to see that his season could end with him sidelined due to a back injury.

“He was a starter for us, right?” Nurse said of Melton. “You know? He was a starter for us. He started a lot of games a year ago. He was a very good defensive player. He can make the open shot, like you said, he makes good plays and makes good reads on the defensive end, and he’s an experienced guy.”

It remains to be seen whether Melton and Covington will be able to return for Philadelphia.

[lawrence-related id=93190,93197,93187]

Nick Nurse gives updates on Joel Embiid, other progressing Sixers

Coach Nick Nurse gives updates on Joel Embiid and the other progressing injured Philadelphia 76ers players.

PHILADELPHIA — At this stage of the 2023-24 season for the Philadelphia 76ers, all eyes are on Joel Embiid. The big fella has not played since Jan. 30 when he injured his left knee and underwent surgery to repair a meniscus tear on Feb. 6.

With only nine games left in the regular season after the Sixers face the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night, one has to wonder about the status of the big fella.

“I haven’t met with him,” coach Nick Nurse said before the contest with the Clippers. “I have talked with him. FaceTimed with him a couple times, but I haven’t met with him yet. No. He’s on the court as you guys know, and we still don’t have a timeline for his return.”

Nurse and the Sixers have continued to say he is on the court as he continues his rehab.

“I would imagine he’s getting better each day,” Nurse continued. “So he’s just trying to get him strong and confident and in shape and ramped up and all those wonderful words.”

When asked specifically of what kind of work Embiid is doing, Nurse didn’t specify. He kept it to the fact that he was out there working.

“He’s out there working?” he said succinctly. “He’s out there working. He’s doing lots of skill work and things like that and just trying to continue to advance all that stuff.

He’s on the court so we’ll let you know when we get to those stages.”

Again, the question becomes whether Embiid will return before the season ends. The Sixers are eighth in the Eastern Conference which would require them to play at least one play-in game. If Embiid can return before the season ends, there is a hope that he could lift them out of the play-in zone, sixth place.

“I think there’s a very good likelihood that he will return before the play-in, playoff,” stated Nurse. “Yeah.”

Then, there’s the status of Robert Covington and De’Anthony Melton. Covington has not played since Dec. 30 due to a left knee bone bruise and Melton hasn’t played since Feb. 27 due to lumbar spine bone stress.

“Cov is progressing a little bit,” said Nurse. “It looks like he could make a return here at some point. Again, we’re not sure. It’s, again, all these things are very similar. They put in a lot of work one day and you gotta wait to see how it responds and see when they get to go again, but he’s making some progress.”

As for Melton, it is not as clear.

“Melt is probably not as close yet,” he finished. “He’s still kind of on a pain tolerance thing, but again, we’re kind of hopeful that both of them will be back before this regular season ends. Yeah.”

[lawrence-related id=92729,92706,92702]

Full injury report for De’Anthony Melton, Sixers vs. Nets on the road

Here is the full injury report for De’Anthony Melton and the Philadelphia 76ers as they take on the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday.

The Philadelphia 76ers will take on the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday to wrap up a two-game road trip, and they will once again rely on others to step up and produce to pick up a win.

The Sixers will be without Joel Embiid (left knee meniscus), Robert Covington (left knee bone bruise) and De’Anthony Melton (lumbar spine bone stress).

The Sixers announced before the trip that Melton would miss both road games. When Philadelphia returns home on Wednesday to host the Memphis Grizzlies, one has to wonder about his status for that contest.

Cam Payne, who missed Sunday’s win over the Dallas Mavericks with an illness, is listed as questionable against the Nets due to the illness.

The Sixers have split their first two games with the Nets this season. Philadelphia looks for the upper hand on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. EST from Barclays Center.

[lawrence-related id=91424,91421,91418]

Sixers’ Nick Nurse discusses unfortunate injury for De’Anthony Melton

Philadelphia 76ers coach Nick Nurse gives his thoughts on the unfortunate injury timing for De’Anthony Melton.

PHILADELPHIA — De’Anthony Melton has been having a terrific season on the floor for the Philadelphia 76ers. In the 36 games he has played, Melton is averaging 11.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists along with 1.6 steals and shooting 36.2% from deep.

Unfortunately for Melton, he has also been dealing with a back injury all season long. He missed games in early January with the issue, returned for two games, but then missed 18 games from Jan. 12 to Feb. 23 due to the injury.

He then played three games before another back injury in Tuesday’s loss to the Boston Celtics. The Sixers announced that Melton was out for Friday’s contest with the Charlotte Hornets as well as the team’s upcoming quick 2-game road trip.

When considering how little games are left in the 2023-24 season, one has to wonder if this is it for Melton for the season. However, coach Nick Nurse doesn’t believe this will keep him out.

“I don’t think so,” said Nurse. “I don’t think so. No. I think that he had a good stretch of practices and felt fine and then didn’t feel fine again coming out of Boston so they’re back at it. He’s got a couple of days here to work on it and look at it and starting next week, we’ll have a better idea.”

Melton is a very important part of this team. Not only do the Sixers need him on the floor, but he’s also entering free agency this offseason. One has to feel sorry for Melton going through this back injury at such a crucial time for him.

“For sure,” Nurse added. “I think that he’s certainly an important part of our team, right? Got kind of a good steady demeanor and calm guy out there and he’s got some instincts defensively that are super special, right? That’s one thing as far as that goes, but yeah, he’s in an important time of his career personally as well. So let’s just hope we can get back him out there. There’s a lot of games to go yet for him this year.”

With Melton set to miss the next three games, there will be 21 games left when Philadelphia returns home on March 6 to host the Memphis Grizzlies.

[lawrence-related id=91285,91291,91288]

Full injury report for De’Anthony Melton, Sixers vs. Hornets at home

Here is the full injury report for De’Anthony Melton and the Philadelphia 76ers as they take on the Charlotte Hornets on Friday.

The Philadelphia 76ers will get back at it on Friday to play host to the Charlotte Hornets looking to snap a 2-game skid. The Hornets have been playing well since the All-Star break, but even with the injuries the Sixers are dealing with, Philadelphia should win this contest.

In terms of who’s in and who’s out for the Sixers, Joel Embiid (left knee meniscus procedure) and Robert Covington (left knee bone bruise) will remain sidelined. Embiid has hopes that he will return during the regular season while Covington is likely weeks away.

De’Anthony Melton is back on the injury report due to lumbar spine bone stress. He left Tuesday’s loss to the Celtics due to back spasms and one has to wonder how long Melton will be sidelined with the injury.

KJ Martin is listed as questionable due to a right ankle impingement.

The Sixers will be looking to pick up a much-needed win. They have fallen to the No. 6 seed in the East and need to find a way to stay afloat until Embiid returns.

Tip off with the Hornets is set for 7 p.m. EST on Friday.

[lawrence-related id=91234,91231,91228]