Sixers head coach Doc Rivers said before Saturday’s game between the Sixers and Nuggets that he thinks the circumstances are a postponement.
Mike Scott was active and gave the Sixers a minimum of eight players, but Rivers did not think he was healthy enough to appear in an NBA game. The 32-year-old has missed the past four games with a left knee injury.
“I think we have eight active players,” Rivers said Saturday. ‘One was injured in Mike Scott. I can tell you now, I can not play him. I just think he should not play. ”
Scott played 46 minutes on Tuesday and scored 16 points in a 137-134 victory over the Sixers over the Heat. He was asked about the sequence of events that led to him being active but not playing in the Denver game.
“That was what it was,” he said. “What you just said.”
How was his communication with Rivers leading in the game?
“You have to ask Doc,” he said. “I have no problem.”
Joel Embiid, after leading the Sixers to a win with 45 points and 16 rebounds against Miami, was more elaborate on the subject. He was ruled out of Saturday’s game with stiffness, which Rivers said Embiid had started complaining the night before. Ben Simmons also swelled with left knee, although he did not appear in the game’s initial injury report, and the Sixers were later fined $ 25,000 for not listing him.
“It looks like every other game is being continued (postponed), but we, I think the league is letting us keep playing,” said Embiid. ‘There’s really no other explanation behind it, especially the Denver game where we had to put on an injured player just to make sure we had enough players to be able to compete while other teams did not have as many players and the league. did not let any of them play an injured player just to make sure there was a match going on.
“So it’s a pity, but it’s the next man. Can ‘t complain about it. Winning still counts, losses still count. We have to achieve all these victories. We have to keep fighting until those guys are back, and that’s our job. ”
Embid’s response on Tuesday was actually somewhat soft compared to its recent Twitter activity.
Although there is no evidence of a calculated NBA conspiracy against the Sixers, Embiid’s position is fair enough. Six NBA games have been postponed so far this season, including the last three from the Celtics, with COVID-19 protocols contributing to teams not being able to play eight players. Perhaps the late report on Simmons and Embiid’s injuries had to do with the league’s apparent desire to avoid a postponement on Saturday.
The Sixers had two healthier players than Miami on Tuesday as eight members of the Heat were fired due to health and safety protocols. In addition to Seth Curry, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle, Shake Milton and Vincent Poirier were against the Heat. Furkan Korkmaz was eliminated by a left adductor voltage.
Terrance Ferguson now has to clear the league’s minutes after being away from the team for personal reasons. Rivers believes there is a ‘possibility’ that Harris, Thybulle, Milton and Poirier could return to the Sixers’ mini-series against the Heat, which ended on Thursday.
As for Saturday’s game, there are no satisfactory answers yet. Whatever Scott knows, there is no doubt that he keeps it to himself.