As the Philadelphia 76ers prepared to face the Denver Nuggets on Saturday afternoon with seven healthy players, coach Doc Rivers said he believed the NBA should have postponed the game.
“I don’t think we should [play], but it’s not up to me to put it, “Rivers said, when asked if he thought the game should be played before Philadelphia lost 115-103 to Denver.” I care about the health of our players on the ground. “
Philadelphia was found exhausted by both injuries and NBA safety and health protocols. So much so, that striker Mike Scott, who had had knee problems, had to be listed as an asset even though Rivers said before the game he would not play him.
As a result, three rookies, including Tyrese Maxey, who scored 39 points in her first career start, played more than 40 minutes in Philadelphia and Denver, led by 21 points from Gary Harris and 15 points, nine rebounds and 12 Assisted by Nikola Jokic. As the game started to slip away for Nikola Jokic, the manager decided to change the tactical approach.
“I think even though they believe it, I think they need verification sometimes, they’re NBA players, some of those guys,” Rivers said in praising his understated team’s effort after the game. “You could see how he went on. Isaiah Joe, I think he’s going to be a fantastic player, and you could see him sitting down, getting his legs up, Paul Reed the same. So for those guys, it was just great.”
ESPN reported earlier Saturday that the game would continue, after the NBA declared that three of the eight players who had been in the protocols following Seth Curry’s positive test Thursday (Joel Embiid, Danny Green and Reed) were eliminated from having to quarantine.
Initially, this left Philadelphia with nine players: Embiid, Green and Reed, along with the six players (Ben Simmons, Dwight Howard, Tony Bradley and debutants Maxey, Joe and Dakota Mathias) who were not listed at 20:30 on Friday. . injury report. But then the Sixers listed Embiid stiffly on his back and Simmons stiffly on his knee, forcing them to make Scott, who had been out of his own knee problem, active for a game that, according to Rivers, he would not be playing at.
As for Embiid and Simmons, none of whom previously appeared with an injury, Rivers explained why both illnesses prevented them from showing up against Denver.
“Yeah, but it has nothing to do with them not playing,” Rivers said. “Well, at the Brooklyn game, he had some stiffness in his knee, so we almost probably knew after the game that he wouldn’t play tonight. And then Joel started complaining from behind during the last one, at the beginning of “Yesterday. I don’t know if he was playing or not. But honestly, with the minutes we should ask, it would be crazy to play him tonight.”
Throughout his 15-minute pre-availability, Rivers repeatedly noted his concerns about the number of minutes healthy players would have to play to get past the game. In the end, four players exceeded 35 minutes on the ground, including Maxey, who took full advantage of his opportunity.
“I was really just trying to do what I could to win,” Maxey said. “I knew I would have to do more than I usually do.”
It probably won’t be the last time Maxey has more responsibility. While it’s unclear how long the quarantine period will last for players in the league’s health and safety protocols, the Sixers have a game Monday against the Atlanta Hawks before playing at home with the Miami Heat next Tuesday and Thursday, with it is unlikely that any of the players who are still part of the protocols (Curry, Tobias Harris, Shake Milton, Matisse Thybulle and Vincent Poirier) will be able to play.
“I trust the league and I trust the doctors when it comes to health,” Rivers said, when asked if he personally felt confident about COVID-19 about how things had evolved. “I’m more concerned about health on the ground. We’ll play players who haven’t played many minutes.” And this is not just for today, it is a long-term health with the accumulation of games. The numbers we want to get away from our players. So I actually care more than COVID. And I’m worried about COVID. I think everyone is. The league is and so are everyone else. So yes, a lot of things happen. “
Rivers said he did not know if there was a specific time period for when the protocol players could return. “We don’t know anything,” he said. “I don’t know enough about that. Especially today, I want to make the statement that Doc is a nickname, because I clearly don’t know the medical part of it.”
Saturday afternoon’s game had a chance to be the second postponement of the NBA season related to the coronavirus. The Houston Rockets postponed their opening season against the Oklahoma City Thunder because of their own combination of positive testing and contact tracing.
The Sixers also had a positive member in the positive test on Friday, a source told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. The Nuggets are also dealing with COVID-19 issues. The Nuggets flew to Philadelphia on Friday without talented young striker Michael Porter Jr., who remains out of safety and health protocols indefinitely, sources said. Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks left three players (Josh Richardson, Dorian Finney-Smith and Jalen Brunson) in Denver after winning overtime on Thursday because they are also part of safety and health protocols.
After playing again inside the NBA bubble at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, last summer and early fall, to end the 2019-20 regular season and the playoffs without the derailment of the virus, as of Friday night at least 12 of the 30 teams in the league (40%) had at least one player caught up in NBA safety and health protocols. Although Curry had not been available to play Thursday due to an ankle injury before the 76ers learned of his positive test at the end of the first quarter, Memphis Grizzlies center Jonas Valanciunas played the first half Friday night before he was removed from the rest of the game for protocol-related reasons, although coach Taylor Jenkins said after the game that he did not test positive for COVID-19.
And while Rivers joked to the media about conveying a message to his Denver counterpart Mike Malone that “if he can sit about seven or eight guys, it would be very nice of him,” Malone, who has the Nuggets. with a 4-5 start to the season, despite Saturday’s win, it debated how difficult each team finds itself as it tries to navigate the unfamiliar waters that are the 2020-21 NBA season.
“I think you have to understand and be sensitive to the feelings that each player on both sides can have,” Malone said. “Remember, we just played a game against Dallas that left three players in Denver. We just played them. We have one of our own players, our third top scorer, at home in Denver: Michael Porter. And the Sixers he didn’t leave New York City late last night until late, with all the follow-up and testing of ongoing contacts to see who would be available today.I give the NBA credit.
“I spoke to [NBA president of league operations] Byron Spruell a lot today, back and forth, to see if the game would pass. Viously, obviously, the show must continue. They considered it safe enough to play. The Sixers have eight players, which is what you need to play a game. And, to be honest, I think we’ll start to see more of that.
“Jonas Valanciunas last night, Seth Curry makes a few nights, the players of the Dallas team, Michael Porter on our team, because we are just a microcosm of what is happening in our country. So unfortunately this is the situation that we are in. On the one hand, you say, “Well, who are we preparing for? Will we play? Who’s going to be available? ”Then, on the contrary, it’s,‘ Hey, we have to win a game. I don’t care who’s available for Philadelphia. We have to find a way to win a game and start feeling better with ourselves’ “.