Muscala Out With Broken Nose
The Philadelphia 76ers (6-5) are off to Indiana for a matchup with the Pacers (7-4) on Wednesday night, and they'll be dealing with some depth issues for the next week at least. Power forward Mike Muscala suffered a facial laceration on Tuesday during practice and the Sixers announced early on Wednesday that the 27-year-old has a broken nose. He'll be re-evaluated in a week, meaning that he could miss up to five games with how the schedule lays out.
So, we'll be getting Mike Mask-ala upon his return. Moving on...
Muscala, acquired in a three-team trade with the Hawks this offseason, was starting to cement himself as a steady member of Brett Brown's rotation, getting minutes primarily as Dario Saric's back-up in addition to some time as a small ball center. He's averaging 7.4 points on 42.5 percent shooting and 34.5 percent from three-point range. Muscala had been closing games with Saric's early-season struggles.
With Muscala set to miss some time, it will be interesting to see how the rotation will adjust. The Sixers could re-call Jonah Bolden from the Blue Coats and give him a run behind Dario. As Wilson Chandler gets healthier, he will likely fill some of Muscala's minutes while he's sidelined as well. Ben Simmons could also see some time at the four in this situation.
After playing in Indiana on Wednesday, the Sixers have a back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday against Charlotte at home and at Memphis. To start next week, they are on the road on Monday and Wednesday against the Heat and Magic.