Philadelphia 76ers All Star Ben Simmons is expected to miss an extended period of time following the back injury he suffered during the opening minutes of Saturday night's loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Simmons, 23, was said to be "emotional" after leaving the X-ray room at Fiserv Forum, and ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports that there's "a real level of concern" about the severity of the issue.
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Although the team has not yet determined a timetable for Simmons' return, he is expected to miss the team's upcoming road trip which includes nationally televised matchups against the Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers. According to Wojnarowski, the Sixers are expected to announce the next steps in Simmons' recovery, and possibly a timetable for his return, as soon as Tuesday.
Simmons is averaging 16.9 points, 8.3 assists and 7.9 rebounds per game this season. Head coach Brett Brown started second-year guard Shake Milton in Simmons' absence on Monday night, although Josh Richardson also got some minutes at the point.
The Sixers (36-22) currently rank fifth in the Eastern Conference as they prepare for a pair of games against the East's bottom feeders, including a trip to Cleveland on Wednesday followed by a home game against the Knicks on Thursday night. After that, they'll head to Cali for their four-game road trip.
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