Sixers Won't Face Nuggets' Michael Porter Jr. on Saturday

The Denver Nuggets will be missing a key player on Saturday against the Sixers.

Saturday's game will be anything but normal for the Philadelphia 76ers and the Denver Nuggets. Just a few nights ago, the Sixers were nearly at full strength as they were only missing two reserves in Mike Scott and Furkan Korkmaz as they deal with injuries.

But that all changed on Thursday night as the team learned that starting shooting guard Seth Curry tested positive for COVID-19. With Curry's positive test, the 76ers have a notable amount of players listed as questionable for Saturday's matchup against the Nuggets due to the NBA's health and safety protocols.

The Sixers aren't the only team dealing with a shorthanded roster due to health and safety protocols on Saturday, though. On the other side, the Nuggets are set to play without their rising star guard, the former first-round pick, Michael Porter Jr.

According to ESPN, Porter Jr. has been in the NBA's COVID-19 protocol since last Thursday due to contact tracing. Because of his latest absences, Porter Jr. has only had the opportunity to play in four games for Denver so far this season.

In his four starts, Porter Jr. appeared on the court for an average of 29 minutes-per-game. The emerging star has put up 19 points-per-game while knocking down 42-percent of his shots from beyond-the-arc.

Even without Porter, though, the Nuggets are in a much more favorable position than the Sixers at the moment. As seven Sixers are questionable, and four are already ruled out, Philly has just six players available to play as of Saturday morning. Without eight players available, the NBA would have to postpone the matchup. The league hasn't made any decisions right now, though, which means the game is still on. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_