By league rules, teams must have eight players suited up and healthy to play an NBA game. There are 17 players on an NBA roster this year (15 regular spots plus a couple of two-way players).
The Philadelphia 76ers have listed four players as out (for various reasons) and seven more players questionable due to coronavirus protocols for Saturday night when they are scheduled to host the Denver Nuggets.
That leaves six active players. Unless two of the questionable players are cleared by tomorrow the game will have to be postponed.
Out for the Sixers are Seth Curry (coronavirus/health and safety), Mike Scott (left knee contusion), Furkan Korkmaz (groin), and Terrance Ferguson (personal) are out.
The list of questionable players is Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, Danny Green, Shake Milton, Vincent Poirier, Paul Reed, and Matisse Thybulle — every one of them for health and safety/contract tracing reasons.
The 76ers’ Curry tested positive for the coronavirus Thursday night during the team’s game against Brooklyn. He had tested negative the day before and played against the Washington Wizards, then traveled with the team to Brooklyn (Curry was out for the game due to ankle soreness). Curry was on the bench until his pre-game test came back positive during the second quarter and he was removed and taken back to the hotel.
The 76ers team quarantined overnight in a New York hotel and remained there Friday, but were scheduled to take a bus back to Philadelphia Friday night.
Denver has flown to Philadelphia and, as of this afternoon, had not been told the game Saturday was off (it was a game scheduled to be on NBA TV). The status of the game is unclear.
The NBA has had only one game postponed so far this season (Houston vs. Oklahoma City), but the league has expected more would come. It’s why only the first half of the season schedule was released, making room for adjustments to make up games in the second half.
Denver at Philadelphia could be one.