PHILADELPHIA — This is bad timing for the 76ers.
The team is awaiting Friday's COVID-19 test results in New York. However, ESPN is reporting the expectation is that multiple players will miss time due to contact tracing for being in close proximity to Seth Curry. The shooting guard, sidelined by an ankle injury, was informed early in Thursday night's 122-109 loss to the Brooklyn Nets that he had tested positive for the coronavirus.
His positive test forced the team to quarantine and contact trace in a New York hotel late Thursday after the game and Friday, league sources confirmed. They took two COVID-19 tests on Friday. They were still in New York Friday night awaiting test results.
As a result, the NBA injury report lists Joel Embiid, Danny Green, Tobias Harris, Shake Milton, Matisse Thybulle, Vincent Poirier and Paul Reed as questionable for Saturday's 3 p.m. game with the Denver Nuggets at the Wells Fargo Center due the NBA's health and safety protocols.
Curry is listed as out due to the protocols.
In addition to that, Terrance Ferguson (personal reasons), Furkan Korkmaz (left groin strain) and Mike Scott (left knee bruise) are on the report.
As a result, Ben Simmons, Tyrese Maxey, Dwight Howard, Isaiah Joe, Dakota Mathias and Tony Bradley are the only Sixers not listed on the injury report.
According to the NBA protocol, a player must isolate at least 10 days after the first positive test or onset of symptoms or test negative twice at least 24 hours apart via PCR testing. As a result, Curry will miss the next six games. Meanwhile, players out due to contract tracing are normally expected to be sidelined for at least seven days, which amounts to four games.
As a result, the Sixers (7-2) will be undermanned due to the coronavirus against the Nuggets, Monday at the Atlanta Hawks, in Tuesday's and Thursday's home series meetings against the Miami Heat, and in a road back-to-back vs. the Memphis Grizzlies Friday and Oklahoma City Thunder Saturday.
It's not a good time to be shorthanded. Thursday's loss kicked off a key 14-game stretch against mostly competitive teams.
Despite their record, the Nuggets (3-5) are expected to finish the season as one of the Western Conference's elite. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray have a lot to do with that.
Jokic, a second-team All-NBA center, is averaging a triple-double with 25.9 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 10.9 assists. He had a season-high 38 points in Thursday's 124-117 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
Meanwhile, Murray is averaging 22 points while shooting 38.0% on 3-pointers. He scored 50 points, 42, and 50 in consecutive first-round playoff games against the Utah Jazz this past season.
Saturday will mark the Nuggets' second straight game versus a team dealing with COVID-19. The Athletic reported that a Dallas player tested positive before the team's flight home from Denver. Two additional Mavericks players are expected to quarantine for seven days due to contract tracing. All three players remained in Denver.
After facing the Nuggets, the Sixers will face the Hawks (4-4), who are led by All-Star point guard Trae Young. The third-year player is averaging 25.9 points and 8.4 assists. Afterward, they'll host a Heat team (3-4) featuring Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo that made it to last season's NBA Finals.
Butler, an All-NBA forward, is averaging 13.8 points and 2.2 steals, second in the league. The former Sixer had a season-high 26 points in Wednesday's 107-105 loss to the Boston Celtics.
Adebayo, an All-Star power forward/center, is averaging a career-best 18.6 points to go with 8.0 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 1.0 block.
The Sixers should be fine on paper against the Grizzlies, who took a 2-6 record into Friday's game against the Nets. Then they'll face former Sixer Al Horford in their matchup with the Thunder, who were 3-4 heading into Friday's game at the New York Knicks.
Curry, nursing his sore ankle, wore a mask while sitting on the bench in the first quarter before the team was made aware of his positive test. Once the Sixers were alerted of his test results, he immediately went to an isolation room at the Barclays Center before leaving the arena apart from his teammates.
Curry's positive result came following a negative rapid result earlier in the day.
