After missing Saturday night’s game against the Sacramento Kings, Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons is available to return against the New York Knicks Sunday night, the team says.
Ever since returning from the 2021 NBA All-Star break, the Sixers have been shortened by the inclusion of their two stars Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid in the NBA health and safety protocol due to the COVID-19 communication discovery.
The Sixers then got Embiid back for a game but lost it before the third quarter of Thursday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards came around. Dealing with a bone brush, Embiid was initially scheduled for two to three weeks for injury.
Fortunately, Simmons was back in action by Sunday when the Sixers caught the San Antonio Spurs. For the next game or two, the 76ers held up well without Embiid, but then missed another late start in Wednesday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Starting guard Seth Curry went to the basket in the fourth quarter and ended up going down and falling. After a slow rise, Curry struggled with a limpet as he walked back into the locker room. The next afternoon, Curry was found with a sprained ankle and ruled out for the next two games, which includes a Sunday matchup against the New York Knicks.
The troubles with Curry and Embiid did not stop as Simmons abruptly added to the Sixers injury report Saturday night. After working on Friday and even taking part in the scene Saturday morning ahead of the Kings matchup, Simmons reported a knee injury to Philly’s training staff.
The Sixers Simmons added to the injury report on Saturday afternoon and then fired him about an hour before they were sent off. However, after being listed as a questioner for Sunday night, Simmons is evicted for action again.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.