Fultz injures left ankle in summer league game

LAS VEGAS – Markelle Fultz, the 76ers star rookie and the overall No. 1 pick in June's NBA draft, injured his left ankle in an NBA Summer League game on Saturday night and had to be helped from the court.

The initial reports from the Sixers called the injury a sprained ankle. Sixers assistant coach Lloyd Pierce, in charge of the summer league team, said the team would be "cautious" with Fultz.  However, a source said the point guard is expected to be sidelined for the rest of the summer league.

Even if it is just a grade-one sprain, the recovery time could be seven to 10 days. He could be out four to six weeks if it's a high-ankle sprain, as ESPN reported. However, a source said the Sixers were not informed that it was a high-ankle sprain.

The summer-league concludes on July 17 with the championship game. So even if it is just a grade-one sprain, there really wouldn't be enough time for the former Washington standout to return. Nor would it make any sense to chance his reinjuring the ankle.

Making sure he remains healthy for the regular season is more important than seeing him play another game or two in the summer league. The Sixers are actually relieved that it's just an ankle sprain and not anything more serious.

He turned his ankle after stepping on the back of Jabari Brown's foot while chasing the Golden State Warriors guard in an attempt to block his shot near the basket with 8 minutes, 27 seconds in the third quarter.  Fultz, who was jumping as he turned the ankle, then landed on the injured foot and fell to the floor, clutching his ankle in the 95-93 victory. He was helped to the locker room and had X-rays to determine the extent of the injury.

Fultz left the arena while the game was still going on to receive treatment at the team hotel.

The mishap happened right in front of Sixers coach Brett Brown, who was watching the game from the stands. He said in a TV interview that he felt "punch drunk" after all the recent injuries the Sixers have endured.

Joel Embiid (torn meniscus in his left knee), Ben Simmons (right foot Jones fracture), Jerryd Bayless (torn ligaments in his left wrist), Robert Covington (torn meniscus in right knee), Jahlil Okafor (right knee soreness) and Sergio Rodriguez (left hamstring strain) all suffered season-ending injuries last season.

Embiid reacted right away on Twitter.

"Any sport you play in in a competitive atmosphere and you're athletic and moving around, that's just the challenge," Pierce said. "It's easy to put that on the history of what we've gone through, but no, it's just part of the game. It's part of the sport."

Fultz had eight points on 3-for-12 shooting before he left the game and had been enjoying a successful summer league debut, averaging 20 points per game in the Utah Summer League.

Sixers guard Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot was also injured on the play, tumbling as Brown made contact on his way to the hoop. He received stitches after suffering a cut on his upper lip.

Fultz had said all along this week how important it was for him to play these games.

"Anytime I get a chance to play the game, I am not going to skip out of it," he said. "I am going to try to play no matter what the circumstance. I'm going to try to play the game. It's an opportunity I don't want to take for granted, so I'm happy."

The Sixers play two more games, on Sunday against the San Antonio Spurs and Tuesday against the Boston Celtics before being the tournament portion of the summer league.