76ers will be short-handed in first round of NBA Playoffs in Toronto

The Philadelphia 76ers will be without Matisse Thybulle once they play the Raptors in Toronto in the first-round.

The Philadelphia 76ers clinched the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, meaning they will take on the No. 5 Toronto Raptors in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. But, once the 76ers take on the Raptors in Toronto for Games 3 and 4, they will be without one of their key defensive players.

Earlier on Sunday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that Matisse Thybulle will be ineligible for Games 3 and 4 due to Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Head coach Doc Rivers confirmed the report.

76ers: Matisse Thybulle ineligible for road games vs. Raptors in first round

Thybulle told reporters on Sunday that he is not fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The third-year player said that he did get one dose of the vaccine, but decided against getting further doses and would pursue holistic treatments instead.

You can read Thybulle’s full answer in the tweet below, courtesy of Kyle Neubeck of the Philly Voice:

To enter Canada, a traveler needs to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. To be considered fully vaccinated, an individual has to receive at least two accepted doses of the vaccine or at least one dose of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, per the government’s website.

Through 65 games this season, Thybulle is averaging 5.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.1 blocks while shooting 49.7 percent from the field.

The 76ers’ playoff schedule has yet to be revealed as of this writing.