Sixers' Doc Rivers Downplays Dwight Howard's Sudden Absence vs. Nets

Wednesday's matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets didn't have the star power that everybody anticipated leading up to the game. For Brooklyn, two out of their three primary stars missed the matchup due to injuries and rest as Kevin Durant and James Harden weren't on the court.

In addition to the starters, the Nets also didn't have LaMarcus Aldridge, Blake Griffin, and Tyler Johnson on board to play. As for the Sixers, they were relatively healthy as all of their stars were healthy and ready to go.

However, Philly still had a couple of players miss the matchup due to setbacks. As expected, George Hill didn't make his return as he's still working on recovering from thumb surgery. Also, 76ers veteran center Dwight Howard was unexpectedly ruled out from Wednesday's game as he's dealing with knee soreness.

Leading up to Wednesday's game, Howard had yet to miss a game this season. Despite playing late in October last season and joining the Sixers in December for the start of the new league year, Howard has been available for the 76ers all year long.

But on Wednesday night, the Sixers considered him to be a late scratch. Howard seemed fine as he joined his team on the bench in street clothes to watch the game. After the win over the Nets, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers assured everybody that Howard is doing alright, and his setback is nothing serious. 

"He's fine," Rivers explained. "It was maintenance a little bit, but his knee was sore after the game the other night. Then, this morning at shootaround, he wasn't moving very well, and we just decided he was a late scratch."

Although Howard's status for the game against the Los Angeles Clippers is currently unknown, it seems there's a chance the veteran center could be back out on the floor for the Sixers on Friday night.

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