Basketball: COVID-19 ravaged 76ers tip-off against Denver with NBA minimum eight players

The Philadelphia 76ers tipped off against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday without All-Stars Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid and just the NBA minimum eight players active as the team deals with injuries and COVID-19 concerns. Sixers guard Seth Curry learned of a positive COVID-19 test while the team played Thursday in Brooklyn, forcing the team to spend an extra day in New York for additional testing. Coach Doc Rivers said before the game against Denver the Sixers will have seven players available and that injured forward Mike Scott will be active but not play. Rivers expressed concern the Sixers were even playing a game so short-handed and he worried about "our players' health on the floor." The players available are: Danny Green, Dwight Howard, Tyrese Maxey, Tony Bradley, Isaiah Joe, Dakota Mathias and Paul Reed. Embiid, Simmons, Curry and Tobias Harris are the missing starters in the lineup. Rivers said Simmons has a left knee injury and Embiid is nursing a sore back.