Is De’Anthony Melton going to stay away?

For the first and only time this season, the Philadelphia 76ers will welcome the San Antonio Spurs in their home arena on Monday night.

The Sixers, who have just completed a successful two-game road trip, will try to keep winning on Monday night.

 

They will, however, once again be shorthanded when they take on the Western Conference team that is rebuilding. The Sixers will be without De’Anthony Melton, their starting two-guard, for the sixth straight game.

 

Melton has been dealing with a back problem lately; it started in the new year. Melton missed just his second game of the season when the Sixers opened 2024 with a home game against the Chicago Bulls.

The defeat persisted for the following two matches against the New York Knicks and the Utah Jazz. When the Sixers hit the road to face the Atlanta Hawks on January 10, Melton returned to the lineup. Drawing another start, the veteran guard took the floor for 21 minutes. He scored ten points during that time.

In the following outing against the Sacramento Kings two nights later, Melton collected 25 minutes of playing time. He struggled from the field, draining just two of his nine shots. He scored six points, four rebounds, and three assists in the Sixers’ 19-point win over the Kings. When the Sixers hosted the Houston Rockets three days later, Melton was ruled out once again. Last week, the Sixers offered up a timeline for Melton’s absence, making it known he would miss the outings against the Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic, and the Charlotte Hornets.

Melton will miss his fourth straight game due to injury, but the organization did leave the door open for a possible return against San Antonio at the beginning of the new week. Kelly Oubre should have another chance to practice with the starting five of the Sixers when he is not there.