CAMDEN, NJ — Kelly Oubre (sprained LCL, elbow) is ready to return as the Sixers prepare to face the Charlotte Hornets, the veteran wing announced after the team's Friday practice.
Oubre had missed the Sixers’ previous eight games after suffering the injury in the team’s 139-129 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on March 10, but had recently teased his return on social media and, in his own words, is ready to play this weekend.
“It's felt really good,” Oubre said. “A lot of this thing that I've been dealing with has just been inflammation and pain management. And I told the training staff, once I can move my elbow, once I'm able to dribble the ball, shoot the ball, kind of do what I can without any discomfort, I want to play basketball, so I feel ready to play basketball tomorrow.
“I don't know if I'm breaking news or not, but I don't care. Yeah, I'm playing basketball tomorrow, so I'm excited. We got a good thing going here, and I'm just trying to help push this momentum forward into the postseason.”
The Sixers already saw the return of two starters Wednesday night as Joel Embiid (right oblique strain) and Paul George (suspension) both made their returns in a 157-137 victory over the Chicago Bulls.
“I think it excites the city,” Oubre said of the return of Embiid and George. “It excites everybody in the organization, because this is the team that they put together. We can finally go out there and show what we can do and find that rhythm and that groove in the right time of the season, right?
“I think hats off to everybody that contributed this year. But we did a good job, obviously, one making sure this was better than last year, that this wasn't an abysmal season. And now, we can only just continue to just climb up and get better from here, but we got to remember where we started. I think last year is where we started and we can only get up, go up from there.”
Oubre has been a reliable player for the Sixers as often as he’s been available, and is enjoying arguably his best season in Philadelphia. While his scoring average is the lowest it's been since signing with the Sixers, he's thrived in terms of efficiency in a lower-usage role, boasting a career high in true shooting. While Oubre has not yet been officially cleared by the team, all signs point to him being available when the team announces its pregame injury report.
The Sixers will face the Hornets in Charlotte Saturday night in a game with strong postseason implications, as Charlotte trails Philadelphia by just a single game and has won their last five matchups.
Unless otherwise stated, all stats included in this article are via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass, Basketball Reference or Team Rankings. All salary information via Spotrac.
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