The Philadelphia 76ers played the Indiana Pacers without Kelly Oubre Jr., who recently met a freak accident and is currently hospitalised. The accident might mean him missing a significant amount of time this season.
Although the Sixers dominated the Pacers on the night, they would need Oubre in future. The Sixers have now won eight games on the bounce since losing their opening fixture against the Milwaukee Bucks.
It was a field day for Tyrese Maxwey who brought up his career-high 50 points. The former Kentucky Wildcat guard also amassed seven boards, five assists, seven three-pointers and two blocks.
Following their win, Maxey decided his heroic performance to Kelly Oubre and wished him a speedy recovery. “This had nothing to do with me. This is all Kelly Oubre. We’re praying for him. Love my dawg. I just met him, but I love him. I hope he gets well soon,” said Maxey (via Sports Illustrated).
Former NBA MVP Joel Embiid also had a dominant night with 37 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists along with a steal and a block. Tobias Harris also had a near double double with 18 points and nine boards.
For the Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton tried his best and registered 25 points, 17 assists and two steals while Myles Turner amassed 22 points, five rebounds and three blocks in a losing cause. The Sixers will face the Pacers again on November 14 as they will go back-to-back before hosting the Boston Celtics on November 16. They are at the summit of the Eastern Conference ahead of the Celtics, who have already suffered two defeats.
Coming to Kelly Oubre Jr., the Sixers forward was involved in a pedestrian incident near his Philadelphia home. The incident has resulted in several injuries for which he has been hospitalised. According to the Athletic Oubre broke his ribs along with multiple bruises all over. However, none of the injuries are deemed to be career-ending. But he will take significant time to recover before he can step on the court again.
The incident happened when Oubre was hit on the chest by a speeding vehicle which fled after the accident, as reported by the Philadelphia police.
Oubre had a decent start to his NBA campaign and in eight games this season, he averaged 16.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and shot 37% beyond the three-point line.
Surprisingly, his best scoring game was on the opening night against the Bucks, where he scored 27 points but unfortunately the Sixers lost that game.