Posted on: November 13, 2023, 12:10h.
Last updated on: November 13, 2023, 12:20h.
Philadelphia 76ers shooting guard/small forward Kelly Oubre is out indefinitely after a vehicle struck him during a hit-and-run accident in downtown Philly on Saturday.
Oubre resdies in the City Center neighborhood. During a walk home on Saturday evening, a vehicle hit him while he attempted to cross the intersection of Broad Street and Locust Street. Witnesses said that a silver vehicle struck Oubre and fled the scene.
X-rays revealed Oubre sustained multiple fractured ribs, but he also had injuries to his hip and right leg. He was released from Jefferson Hospital on Saturday.
The 76ers indicated that Oubre will miss significant time while recovering from the accident. They expect him to return before the end of the season.
Oubre Stepped Up After Harden Trade
The 76ers signed Oubre in September to a one-year contract at a veteran’s minimum salary. He averaged 16.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game this season. He shot a career-high 50% from the field and 37.8% from 3-point range.
Oubre appeared in eight games with the 76ers, and he started in five. The 76ers are 7-1 in games that Oubre played. He was the team’s fourth-best scorer and proved to be a valuable acquisition in the wake of the James Harden trade.
Kelly’s been very business-like,” said head coach Nick Nurse. “He comes in and plays hard, practices hard, is a likable personality.”
Oubre grew up in New Orleans, but his family was displaced after Hurricane Katrina and relocated to Texas. Oubre played a one-and-done season with the Kansas Jayhawks before he went pro.
The Atlanta Hawks selected Oubre with the #15 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, but they traded him to the Washington Wizards. He also played for the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, and Hornets before joining the 76ers this season.
Oubre averaged a career-best 20.3 points per game with the Charlotte Hornets last season. He missed more than seven weeks of action after he tore ligaments in his left hand in January and underwent surgery.
Tyrese Maxey Dedicates 50-Point Game to Oubre
The 76ers have the best record in the NBA at 8-1. Aside from a one-point loss against the Milwaukee Bucks in the season opener, the 76ers won eight games in a row with five double-digit victories.
The 76ers won a 137-126 shootout against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday, and extended their winning streak to eight straight.
Point guard Tyrese Maxey erupted for a career-high 50 points against the Pacers. He added seven rebounds, five assists, and three blocks in the victory. He shot 20-for-32 from the field, including 7-for-11 from 3-point land, and a perfect 3-for-3 from the free-throw line.
This had nothing to do with me,” Maxey told reporters after the game. “This is all Kelly Oubre. We’re praying for him. Love my dawg. I just met him, but I love him. I hope he gets well soon.”
“The game today, I’m sure Tyrese was thinking about it and we were all thinking about it,” said center Joel Embiid. “We just want Kelly to take his time, recover and know that we have his back. He’s needed because he’s a big part of us. We missed him tonight, but he should take his time.”
Maxey is the second top scorer on the 76ers behind Embiid (32.4 points per game), who won the NBA’s MVP last season. Maxey averages 28.6 points per game this season while shooting 50.5% from the floor.
“Coach Nurse is just telling me to be ultra-aggressive,” Maxey said in an interview with The Athletic last week. “He gets extremely upset with me when I turn down shots, or if they go under and I don’t shoot, or he feels like I’m being passive and not getting into the paint.”
Betting the Harden-Free 76ers
The 76ers have been on fire since they traded disgruntled shooting guard James Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers. Meanwhile, the Clippers lost five games in a row since they acquired Harden.
Harden was unhappy with the 76ers organization, especially general manager Daryl Morey, after he was not traded in the off-season. Morey finally worked out a deal with the Clippers after the season began.
The 76ers were relieved that the Harden drama is in the past, and they can now focus on winning games under a new head coach.
The 76ers fired Doc Rivers after another disappointing elimination in last year’s playoffs. They hired Nurse to replace Rivers. Nurse won a title with the Toronto Raptors in 2019 before they fired him after the end of last season.
“We’ve got an interesting team,” said Nurse.
New coach, new system, bunch of new guys,” added Embiid. “Just trying to get everybody up to speed and see what we can do.”
The 76ers have the best betting record in the NBA, with an 8-1 clip against the point spread.
The Boston Celtics are the consensus favorite to win the Atlantic Division at -320 odds. But the 76ers are their closest competition at +270.
The Celtics (+150) and Milwaukee Bucks (+155) are the top two betting favorites to win the Eastern Conference this season. The 76ers are the third-highest team from the East on the board at +600 odds.
The Celtics and Bucks emerged as popular picks to win the 2023-24 NBA championship after several off-season acquisitions. The Celtics are the outright favorite at +370 odds, and the Bucks are second cofavorites with the defending champion Denver Nuggets at +425 odds. The 76ers are sixth on the board at +1400 odds to win the championship.
