Ben Simmons has been ruled out of the Philadelphia 76ers' next game against the Atlanta Hawks, due to his lower back injury, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
After lower back injury on Saturday, Ben Simmons underwent initial evaluation in Philadelphia today and will undergo further testing tomorrow, league sources tell ESPN. He will be out for Monday's game vs. Atlanta.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 23, 2020
After undergoing an MRI Monday, the All-Star point guard will undergo further testing, with Wojnarowski reporting "there is some level of concern surrounding the possible nature of the injury."
Simmons missed the 76ers' first game back from the All-Star break against the Brooklyn Nets with lower back tightness and exited Sunday's 119-98 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks five minutes into the first quarter after appearing to re-aggravate the injury.
The 76ers have a relatively light schedule this week, with three games against sub .500 teams in the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers and the New York Knicks, before back-to-back games against the Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers on the road.
Currently, the 76ers sit fifth in the Eastern Conference at 35-22 on the season, 1.5 games back of the Miami Heat and 1.5 games ahead of the Indiana Pacers in sixth.
In what's been an up-and-down season, the 76ers have been dominant at home at 26-2, while they have struggled on the road, dropping to 9-20 on the season, following the loss to the Bucks.
Through 54 games, Simmons is averaging 16.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists and a league-leading 2.1 steals per game.
