The Philadelphia 76ers had to play a basketball game on Saturday under tough conditions. They were missing nine players due to the league’s health and safety protocols and a variety of injuries.
However, there was one injury that the league did not find to be done by the book.
All-Star guard Ben Simmons was a late scratch from the contest due to what coach Doc Rivers called knee stiffness that he suffered in Thursday’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets. By NBA rule, he needed to be listed on the injury report with the issue before Saturday’s game and because they didn’t, the league is fining the team $25,000.
Yahoo Sources: Philadelphia has been fined $25,000 for failing to list Ben Simmons on the team’s initial injury report for Saturday’s game against Denver.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) January 11, 2021
The injury came as an initial shock due to the fact that Simmons was not included in the protocols. It seemed as if he was set to play Saturday before Rivers revealed he suffered a knee injury.
It is strange that the league is announcing this due to the fact that they currently have bigger issues to worry about. The game was played Saturday and Simmons is listed as out for Monday’s matchup with the Atlanta Hawks. At this point, it just seems a little trivial.
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