As the Philadelphia 76ers begin a road trip on Thursday with a matchup with the Atlanta Hawks, they will be down one of their big men. This situation means the Sixers will be down two starters once again.
Along with Josh Richardson still out with a left hamstring strain, Philadelphia will also be without Al Horford due to left knee soreness. He was originally listed as questionable on Wednesday at practice, but the Sixers have now ruled him out.
He is, however, likely to play on Saturday against the Boston Celtics. He will be needed more against Boston in this case and he missed the previous game in Boston due to an injury.
Ben Simmons, on the other hand, has been diagnosed with a minor upper respiratory illness and he is probable for the matchup.
#Sixers PG Ben Simmons has a minor upper respiratory illness and is probable tonight vs. #Hawks. Al Horford is out with left knee soreness, likely to play Saturday at Boston.
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) January 30, 2020
With Horford out, the Sixers will most likely turn to Matisse Thybulle for the starting lineup and keep Shake Milton at the shooting guard spot in place of Richardson. The move allows coach Brett Brown to keep bringing Furkan Korkmaz off the bench and not wear him down too much.
Tipoff from the State Farm Arena is set for 7:30 p.m. EST. [lawrence-related id=24555,24567,24548]