Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey re-aggravated his right pinky finger injury during the third quarter of Friday’s win over Indiana, but it didn’t stop him from making an impact, according to Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
After heading to the locker room, Maxey had the finger numbed and rewrapped before returning to the court and helping guide Philadelphia to a crucial victory in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Maxey has been playing through the injury with a splint in recent games and acknowledged that it has affected his performance at times.
“I don’t have time to be timid right now,” he said. “My teammates need me. … I did it all year and had a high spirit and kept their spirits high. There’s just no way I’m going to let them down now.”
With Joel Embiid sidelined following an emergency appendectomy earlier in the week, the Sixers are leaning even more heavily on Maxey as they approach what is likely a play-in scenario.
While there’s still a path to finishing as high as sixth, it would require several results to go their way Sunday, beginning with a win against Milwaukee.
Regardless of where they land in the standings, Paul George emphasized the importance of embracing an underdog mindset without Embiid available.
“Teams that make it further than their expectation, it’s because they’re playing together,” George said. “So that’s just the mentality and the mindset that we’ve got to have.”
Sixers Notes: Maxey, Edgecombe, Barlow, Terry https://t.co/ReARvmB8BS pic.twitter.com/77PswqkWzB
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) April 12, 2026
