The Sixers will be without Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid as the pair continues to quarantine. Both players came in contact with someone (their barber) who had tested positive for COVID-19, something that forced them to miss the All-Star game.
Embiid will have to isolate until Friday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports, while Simmons will have to until Saturday. Assuming both players continue to test negative, that means that Embiid will miss the Bulls’ contest on Thursday and Simmons will miss both the Bulls’ games as well as the Wizards game on Friday.
The Sixers (24-12) come out of the All-Star break atop the Eastern Conference, though their lead is nowhere near safe with the Nets (0.5 GB) and the Bucks (2.0 GB) both roaring up the standings.
More From Around The Eastern Conference
- The Heat are reviewing the Twitch video where Meyers Leonard used an anti-Semitic slur. “We just became aware of the video and are in the process of gathering more information,” the league said in a statement. The NBA unequivocally condemns all forms of hate speech.” Leonard, who will be a free agent at the end of the year and previously expressed his desire to re-sign with Miami, remains out for the season with a shoulder injury.
- Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel examines whether the Heat should trade for a star player now regardless of whether it impacts future flexibility. Miami has been linked to Victor Oladipo.
- The Celtics have an interest in Nikola Vucevic, though Josh Robbins of The Athletic argues that there are other players on the Magic who would be useful to Boston should the franchise not want to move their center. Evan Fournier, Aaron Gordon, and Terrence Ross are among options who are widely considered available.
- Cam Reddish underwent a non-surgical procedure on his right Achilles and has been placed in a walking boot, per the team. The former No. 10 overall pick will be re-evaluated in about a week.
