Sixers coach Doc Rivers said before Saturday’s game between the Sixers and the Nuggets that he thought the circumstances warranted a postponement.
Mike Scott was active, giving the Sixers a minimum of eight players, but Rivers didn’t think he was healthy enough to appear in an NBA game. The 32-year-old had lost the last four games due to a left knee injury.
“I think we have eight active players,” said Rivers on Saturday. “One of them was injured in Mike Scott. I can tell you now, there is no way to interpret it. I just don’t think he should play. “
On Tuesday, Scott played 46 minutes and scored 16 points in the Sixers’ overtime victory over 137-134 over the Heat. He was asked about the sequence of events that led him to be active, but not play in the Denver game.
“That was it,” he said. “What did you just say.”
How was your communication with Rivers leading to the game?
“You need to ask the doctor,” he said. “I am no whistleblower.”
Joel Embiid, after leading the Sixers to victory with 45 points and 16 rebounds against Miami, was more expansive on the subject. He was excluded from Saturday’s game because of a back tightness, which Rivers said Embiid had started to complain about the night before. Ben Simmons also sat with a swollen left knee, despite not appearing in the game’s initial injury report, and the Sixers were fined $ 25,000 for failing to list him.
“It looks like all the other games are still (postponed), but we, I think the league keeps making us play,” said Embiid. “There is really no other explanation behind this, especially that Denver game where we had to dress an injured player just to make sure we had enough players to be able to compete while other teams, they didn’t have that many players and the league didn’t make any of them play as an injured player just to make sure there was a game going on.
“So it’s a shame, but he’s the next man. I can’t complain. Winning still counts, losses still count. We need to get all those wins. We need to keep fighting until those guys come back, and that’s our job.”
Embid’s response on Tuesday was somewhat moderate compared to his recent activity on Twitter.
While there is no evidence of a calculated NBA conspiracy against the Sixers, Embiid’s position is fair. Six NBA games have been postponed so far this season, including the last three of the Celtics, with the COVID-19 protocols contributing to teams not being able to place eight players. Perhaps the late reporting of Simmons and Embiid’s injuries has something to do with the league’s apparent desire to avoid a delay on Saturday.
The Sixers had two healthier players than Miami on Tuesday, when eight members of the Heat were excluded because of 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 out against the Heat. Furkan Korkmaz was removed by a left adductor strain.
Terrance Ferguson now has to clear the league’s protocols after being away from the team for personal reasons. Rivers thinks it is “a possibility” that Harris, Thybulle, Milton and Poirier could return after the Sixers miniseries against Heat, which is due to end Thursday.
As for Saturday’s game, there are still no satisfactory answers. Whatever Scott knows, there is no doubt that he is keeping it to himself.