Philadelphia 76ers' Tony Bradley, left, and Paul Reed, right, look on from the bench as they are the only two players on the bench during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets, Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Philadelphia 76ers' Tony Bradley, left, and Paul Reed, right, look on from the bench as they are the only two players on the bench during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets, Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
(Philadelphia)–Only able to dress eight players, the minimum to avoid a forfeit, the Philadelphia 76ers (7-3) lost to the Denver Nuggets (4-5) 115-103. The Sixers were without Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.
Sixers guard Seth Curry was informed of a positive COVID-19 test on Thursday while the team was in Brooklyn. The team spent an extra day in New York for additional testing and contact tracing.
Tyrese Maxey stepped into the starting lineup for the first time in his career, finishing with a career-high 39 points. The last Sixer to score at least 39 points in his rookie season was Allen Iverson.
Four regular starters were out for the contest. All-Stars Ben Simmons (sore left knee) and Joel Embiid (back) missed due to injury, and Seth Curry and Tobias Harris missed over virus concerns. Health and safety protocols led to the remaining unavailable players. Danny Green was the only regular in the Sixers starting lineup.
The team met the NBA minimum eight active players by including injured forward Mike Scott, who was not actually able to play.
The Sixers are scheduled to play in Atlanta on Monday, the first of five games in seven days. Curry will miss at least five more games because of the protocols.
The 76ers opened the week with the best record in the NBA.
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