Orlando (United States) (AFP)
Philadelphia full-back Ben Simmons, injured Wednesday in the win against Washington, suffered from a dislocated left kneecap that puts him on his side for an indefinite period, his team announced Thursday.
Simmons had a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan which further revealed that the ligaments were not affected. A diagnosis less serious than feared, which acts his forfeit for the next game against Orlando on Friday but casts a shadow over the rest of his season.
A long-term absence would be a big blow for the 76ers, in the perspective of the play-offs to start in eleven days.
Simmons was injured on an insignificant action, after a pass to Al Horford, following a rebound and a slow return of the ball.
He took advantage of the interruption of the season due to the coronavirus to treat a back injury contracted on February 22 which would have made him miss the rest of the championship if it had gone as planned.
On the occasion of the resumption at Disney World, the 24-year-old who compiles 16.4 points, 8 assists and 7.8 rebounds on average this season, was promoted to an unusual winger position, to allow the youngster Shake Milton to be the starting point.
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