Will it ever stop? Sixers holding breath while Tyrese Maxey has X-rays on right hand

Will it ever stop with the Sixers? 

It's bad enough that they endured a bad second half that led to a loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday, but even worse is that Tyrese Maxey suffered a right hand injury with just seconds left in the game after colliding with Adem Bona: 

Tyrese Maxey appeared to injure his hand at the end of Sixers-Hawks. pic.twitter.com/cBS7fbmc2n

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 8, 2026

Maxey writhed in pain on the floor and was visibly upset and holding the hand as he left the court following the team's 125-116 loss. The team played the game without Joel Embiid, who is out for about another week with a strained oblique, and VJ Edgecombe, who is dealing with a bruised back. 

"Nothing yet, they are going to take X-rays here," said coach Nick Nurse to reporters after the game. "We'll find out. Obviously it's huge, especially with what we've got going on right now. So many guys out and obviously he's another key player, but we'll see. We can't make any judgments or think about that until we find out for sure.

"I couldn't see it happen. I didn't see anything. I think him and Bona were going for a loose ball is what some of my staff said. He reached his hand out and hit Bona's body, I think. Obviously, he did something there. You don't want any of that stuff to happen. Guys do get hit on the hands quite a bit and jammed fingers and all kinds of stuff. Let's hope that's what it is."

Maxey had a team-high 31 points as the Sixers fell to 34-29 and dropped to the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference standings. The third quarter was once again the telling spot of the game, as the Hawks outscored the Sixers by 31-21 in the stanza, erasing a seven-point halftime lead for the Sixers. Quentin Grimes had 26 and Kelly Oubre Jr. 24 for the Sixers. Atlanta, which won its sixth consecutive game, got 35 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists from Jalen Johnson.