76ers' Thybulle returns from 7-game protocols absence

The Philadelphia 76ers had Matisse Thybulle in the lineup for Saturday's road matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers after he missed the previous seven games due to health and safety protocols.

"We'll play him, but we won't play him much," 76ers head coach Doc Rivers told The Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey before Saturday's shootaround.

Thybulle, who earned NBA All-Defensive second-team honors last season, entered the league's protocols on Nov. 5 as a result of contact tracing. The 24-year-old tested positive for COVID-19 while in isolation.

Philadelphia went 2-5 without Thybulle, a slide marred by a five-game losing streak that included a 35-point battering at the hands of the Utah Jazz.

Rivers and Co. are also without franchise cornerstone Joel Embiid, who has missed the last six games due to protocols. Embiid didn't face the Blazers, while Danny Green missed his third straight contest with hamstring tightness.