76ers' Starter Remains Out vs. Knicks

On Thursday night, the Philadelphia 76ers will resume their campaign with a match against the New York Knicks, following the All-Star Break which allowed several members of the team to sit back and get some much-needed rest.

Prior to the break, the Sixers took on the shorthanded Miami Heat, who were without the likes of Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier, meaning they would be without an average of 34 points per game.

This wouldn't matter for Erik Spoelstra and the Heat, as they squeezed past the Sixers by five points, in part due to impressive scoring efforts from Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, who both managed to put up 23 points.

The Sixers were within such a close proximity to the Heat for most parts of the match, as Tyrese Maxey closed out the first half of his season with an emphatic 30 point display, while Buddy Hield managed to put up a 22 point, ten assist double-double.

While both of these players remain off of Philadelphia's early injury report, the same can't be said for De'Anthony Melton, who is set to remain out, due to a stress response in his lower spine.

This is the same issue that has kept Melton off the court since early January, following the Sixers' win over the Sacramento Kings, in which the 25-year-old dropped six points on a lackluster 22 percent from the field.

His absence against the Knicks comes despite making an appearance in the team's practice on Wednesday.

Prior to his injury stint, Melton had been a constant part of Nick Nurse's starting lineup, starting in all 33 of his appearances, in which he was averaging 12 points on 39 percent shooting, while managing to record 1.6 steals per game.

The Sixers welcome the Knicks into the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night, with tip-off scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EST.