Sixers Notes: Sixers' Jason Richardson suffers sprained ankle

NEW YORK - Doug Collins often has bemoaned the presence of photographers along the baseline, and on Sunday, when he lost shooting guard Jason Richardson to a sprained left ankle in the first quarter against the New York Knicks, the 76ers coach had yet another reason to complain.

However, it was Richardson, not Collins, who did the talking.

"They really don't belong down there - you see what happens," said Richardson, who suffered the sprain when he stepped on a cameraman's foot at Madison Square Garden. "It creates all kinds of problems for players. There's got to be a better way."

Richardson was hurt less than two minutes into the game with the Sixers trailing, 5-2. X-rays of his ankle found no broken bones, but he left the arena with his foot in a walking boot.

In Monday's rematch with the Knicks at the Wells Fargo Center, Richardson likely will be replaced in the starting lineup by Nick Young.

The 76ers' backup point guard, Royal Ivey, was born in Harlem and still has family living in Queens. Ivey knows full well the impact that Sandy had on New Yorkers. His father and brother still live in the Hollis neighborhood; Ivey's mother lives in Rhode Island.

Ivey has stayed in touch with his family, but he was unable to see them during his New York visit.

"For the most part, everybody was safe and sound," Ivey said. "On my block, there were a couple of houses without power for a few days. They also had a couple of trees come down and some cars were totaled."

Ivey wanted to take the Long Island Railroad to see his family. However, he said, he was unable to catch a train from Manhattan because of the storm damage. Typically, Ivey said, he sets aside tickets for family members and friends when he comes to New York. He was unable to do that Sunday because his family had no way of getting to the game.

"The things we take for granted and now that you don't have them, it's a tough situation," he said. "Coming home is bittersweet knowing they can't come to the game. But New Yorkers are resilient. We bounced back from 9/11 and we'll bounce back from this, too."