Sixers' Markelle Fultz rehabbing shoulder in Kentucky
The rookie combo guard will return to Kentucky in the next week or two to have his shoulder re-evaluated.
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BOSTON — Markelle Fultz is rehabilitating his right shoulder under the supervision of surgeon Ben Kibler at the Shoulder Center of Kentucky in Lexington. The 76ers guard arrived in Kentucky on Wednesday and will undergo physical therapy for a couple of days.
He's scheduled to return to the Philadelphia area later this week and to go back to Kentucky in the next week or two to have his shoulder reevaluated.
An examination Nov. 19 revealed that the muscle balance in the rookie's shoulder has improved and the soreness is dissipating, the team said at the time in a statement. Fultz was seen by Kibler, who had diagnosed scapular muscle imbalance in Fultz's first visit to the Shoulder Center on Oct. 29.
The first overall pick in the NBA draft in June has been sidelined since Oct. 25.
He was cleared Nov. 19 to start progressing toward full basketball activities in addition to continuing his physical therapy.
Three-point-shooting woes
The Sixers were in three-point-shooting purgatory in the two games before Thursday's.
They combined to shoot just 6 for 46 from behind the arc against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday and Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday. They shot 3 for 18 against the Wizards and 3 for 28 against the Cavs. As a result, the Sixers are the eighth team in NBA history to make fewer than four three- pointers while attempting more than 17.
"I think it's just part of the 82-game rhythm," coach Brett Brown said of the shooting funk.
Robert Covington (1-for-5) and JJ Redick (0-for-5), two of the league's top three-pointer shooters, combined to make just 1 of 10 three-pointers on Wednesday. On Monday, Covington missed all nine of his attempts and Redick was 1 for 4.
"Everyone else has been up and down and those two have struggled the last two games," Brown said. "That's just part of the rhythm of the NBA."
McConnell’s MRI is negative
An MRI Thursday morning revealed no structural damage in the sprained AC joint in T.J. McConnell's left shoulder.
The reserve point guard suffered the injury in the third quarter Wednesday against the Wizards. X-rays after the game were negative.
He remained in the Philadelphia area to have the MRI while his teammates were in Boston. The third-year veteran's shoulder is extremely sore. Even though he wants to play Saturday night against the Detroit Pistons, the team isn't giving a timetable for his return.
In McConnell's absence, two-way point guard Jacob Pullen flew to Boston on Thursday morning to be with the team.