Center Spencer Hawes out for Sixers tonight
Back pain will keep Sixers center Spencer Hawes out of the lineup tonight as the team looks for its 7th straight win against the Knicks
Center Spencer Hawes out for Sixers tonight
Bob Cooney
Instead of risking more injury, Sixers coach Doug Collins has decided to sit ailing center Spencer Hawes tonight against the New York Knicks as they'll look for their seventh straight win of the young season.
Hawes hurt his back in Saturday's win over the Toronto Raptors, but was well enough to collect 16 points and 14 rebounds two nights later against the visiting Detroit Pistons. Tuesday night though, after playing 11 minutes in the first half, Hawes' back started to spasm and he did not return to the court in the second half. Collins decided it was better to give his center some rest in hopes of getting the back to heal quicker. The Sixers play the Washington Wizards at home on Friday before traveling there for a rematch on Saturday.
In Hawes' place, Collins started veteran Tony Battie, explaining that he wanted a veteran on the floor to start the game against the Knicks. He also wanted to keep rookie Nik Vucevic in his now normal role of coming off the bench.
Bob Cooney has been at the Daily News for more than 20 years, working in the sports department for the past 15. This is his third season on the Sixers beat. He has covered just about everything, but mostly college basketball, where he was the La Salle beat writer for six seasons. E-mail Bob at cooneyb@phillynews.com and follow him on Twitter.
