Shake Milton, Several Sixers to Miss Spurs Matchup on Friday
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The Philadelphia 76ers are still working on getting fully healthy. Although they were close to getting there over the past week, the team suffered a few setbacks as COVID-19 continues to spread across the league, and physical injuries remain a factor.
When the Sixers host the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night, they'll miss a handful of players once again. On Thursday, when the Sixers released their initial injury report, several players were ruled out early.
Ben Simmons, who has missed every game for the Sixers this year, won't be making his debut on Friday as he continues to miss time due to "personal reasons."
Meanwhile, the rookie Jaden Springer, second-year big Paul Reed, and the young standout Tyrese Maxey have all been ruled out as they are in the health and safety protocol for the time being.
While Sixers' veteran guard Shake Milton isn't in the health and safety protocol, he will miss Friday's game due to an injury he suffered earlier this week.
On Monday, when the Sixers hosted the Houston Rockets, Milton took a hard fall in the second half of the dominant victory. When he left the court, he was ruled out for the remainder of the night as he was dealing with a back contusion, according to a team source.
Milton missed Wednesday night's game against the Orlando Magic due to his back injury. And he's set to miss Friday's game against the San Antonio Spurs as well.
The young veteran's absence is unfortunate for the Sixers. As Maxey's been off the floor lately, Milton would typically step up and start at point guard for Philly. However, they've been left with no choice but to utilize several off-ball players at the point guard position. The Sixers hope that Milton returns soon, but the young guard doesn't have a timeline in place just yet.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.