De’Anthony Melton says he’s ready to return for the Sixers

All signs point to De’Anthony Melton playing for the 76ers on Thursday in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks.

“Today, I went through practice,” the shooting guard said Wednesday. “So I’m feeling good. I’m ready for the game tomorrow and we’ll see how it goes.”

The standout defensive player could provide a much-needed spark for the Sixers, who lost the first two games of the best-of-seven series.

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Melton has played in only seven games since Dec. 30 because of a spine injury. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder came back for a couple of games after an extended break only to be hampered by his back again. But before the injury, Melton was among the league leaders in steals and deflections.

The sixth-year veteran is averaging career highs of 11.1 points and 1.6 steals along with 3.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 38 games.

“I think Melt is always an impactful player when he’s out there,” Tyrese Maxey said. “It’s been a journey for him, honestly. But one thing I can say as a coworker and as a friend, he’s really worked. There’s never been a moment that he’s been down. He’s worked every single day to try to come back. He hasn’t given up. But as a teammate, all you can do is appreciate something like that.”

Melton said it was important to come back because he feels the Sixers are the NBA’s best team when healthy.

“We all felt like that at the beginning of the year,” he said. “Understanding we have had a lot of trades, but honestly, we’ve gotten better at the trade deadline. So just for me to attach myself to that, I feel like we can be an elite team.”

The Knicks had 23 offensive rebounds while having a 55-33 edge in total rebounds in Game 1. In Game 2, New York had 12 offensive boards while outrebounding the Sixers, 46-44. However, Isaiah Hartenstein’s offensive rebound led to Donte DiVincenzo’s three-pointer that gave the Knicks a 102-101 lead with 13.1 seconds left.

» READ MORE: Sixers’ Tyrese Maxey is named the NBA’s Most Improved Player

“I think for me, the little things, rebounding, boxing out, getting deflections, getting steals,” Melton said of what he could have helped the Sixers with in the first two games. “I feel like in the playoffs, every possession matters. So limiting their possessions and holding them to one possession is important.

“And just offensively, I can space the floor. I’ve been shooting it a lot better recently, and also just playmaking wise. Just getting downhill, getting to the basket or just playmaking wise for other guys to make plays, too.”