Report: 76ers vs. Nuggets to Be Played; Joel Embiid, Danny Green Clear Protocols

The NBA has reportedly decided to move forward with Saturday's game between the Philadelphia 76ers and Denver Nuggets despite the Sixers' roster being limited to nine players because of COVID-19 protocols.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the update:

Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic provided further details:

The other six players who will be active for the Sixers on Saturday are Ben Simmons, Dwight Howard, Tony Bradley, Tyrese Maxey, Isaiah Joe and Dakota Mathias.

NBA rules mandate a team have at least eight players available to start a game.

Philadelphia stayed in New York City following Thursday's loss to the Brooklyn Nets while contact-tracing guidelines were followed. The team finally boarded buses around 11 p.m. ET on Friday night to return home, per Wojnarowski.

In December, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers expressed concern about the NBA being able to complete the season given the high number of games and the amount of travel compared to the NFL.

"You know the difference in football. They play once a week," Rivers told reporters. "They have 1,000 players. So you know when you miss three or four players, you can still get away with it."

He added: "So one of our guys, or two of our key guys, get the virus, and they miss 10 days, or 14 days. That can be eight games in a 72-game season. That could knock you out of the playoffs. So that's a concern."

It's unclear how much time the players will miss, but the 76ers are scheduled to play six games in nine days beginning Saturday.

Philadelphia enters the clash with Denver atop the Eastern Conference with a 7-2 record. The Nuggets are off to a sluggish 3-5 start.

Tip off at the Wells Fargo Center is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET on NBA TV.