Philadelphia 76ers injury update: LeBron James’ teammate suffers serious injury prompting early exit against Knicks

Ariel Hukporti started at center for the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday. However, he had to leave the game before even hitting the six-minute mark. Hukporti dropped to the floor on a non-contact play against his old team, the New York Knicks, and had to be helped off. Philadelphia still won the preseason opener 120-97 at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Joel Embiid, LeBron James and Tyrese Maxey sat the game out, so the starting five was patchwork from the jump. The Sixers were already short on centers before tipoff, and Tuesday's imaging may show how thin they are.What happened to Ariel Hukporti against the Knicks?New York had its full title-winning starting group on the floor. With 7:06 left in the first quarter, Hukporti took an awkward step back while guarding Karl-Anthony Towns. He went down right away and grabbed the lower right leg. Nobody had touched him. He was helped off during the next timeout and did not come back.The $3.4 million center signed a one-year deal with Philadelphia in July after winning a title with the Knicks. Hukporti had impressed in the Blue and White scrimmage over the weekend, so the Knicks game looked like a chance to build on it.Coach Nick Nurse said after the game that Hukporti will get imaging on the right Achilles on Tuesday.Philadelphia pulled away anyway behind Jaylen Brown, who scored 13 of his 22 points in the first quarter.The current Sixers roster situationHukporti and Adem Bona came into camp competing for the top backup job behind Embiid, so one is out and the other has not started. Bona has not taken part in camp after spraining his left foot while playing for Turkey's national team. Tacko Fall, the 7-foot-5 camp invitee, has a left hip sprain and will be reevaluated in about two weeks. Dominick Barlow is dealing with a setback of his own. Embiid is healthy in camp but has missed 150 games over the past three seasons.Jabari Walker gave the Sixers 11 points and 11 rebounds in 24 minutes against the Knicks. His contract is not fully guaranteed until Jan. 10.The Athletic's Tony Jones reports the Sixers like the setup they have now, even without Hukporti. Philadelphia has an open roster spot, but it is expected to stay empty for the first few months of the season, and any emergency signing would need follow-up moves to work financially.Philadelphia visits Brooklyn on Thursday and Boston on Saturday before hosting Boston on Oct. 16. Nurse hopes to have most of the roster healthy for two of those three games. The regular season opens Oct. 20 at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks.Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news, check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.