Sixers Missed Seth Curry vs. Clippers, But His Absence Is No Excuse

Throughout the 2021-2022 NBA season, the Philadelphia 76ers have struggled to stay healthy. Whether they are dealing with physical setbacks or COVID-19-related issues, the Sixers tend to find themselves missing several players each game.

That continues to be the case. Shake Milton, who suffered a back injury a few weeks ago, has the Sixers missing their go-to guy to back up Tyrese Maxey. Danny Green, who went out with a hip injury, has battled setbacks all season long, making it difficult for him to find a consistent rhythm.

Last Friday, Matisse Thybulle became the latest Sixer to battle a significant setback as he's missed the last few games with a sprained shoulder. With Thybulle and Green both out of the mix, the Sixers have rotated guys in and out of the starting small forward position as they search for stability.

As if missing three key role players wasn't enough, the Sixers went into Friday night's matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers without their sharpshooting starting guard, Seth Curry. Lately, Curry's been battling ankle soreness.

While ankle soreness is nothing new to Curry, the pain was too much for him to play through on Friday night. Therefore, the Sixers ruled him out and started Isaiah Joe in his place. The Sixers didn't get much from Joe, who put up just three points in 14 minutes, but it seemed they didn't need the second-year guard to be Seth Curry on Friday as Philadelphia believed they had the game in the bag.

As it turned out, that wasn't the case. After leading by as much as 24 points in the second half, the Sixers dropped their lead and took on a one-point loss to the Clippers. After the game, the Sixers stated the obvious by clarifying that they missed their top three-point shooter. However, their issues on Friday night went beyond Curry's absence.

No Excuses

"Obviously, we have a lot of guys out that can contribute," said Sixers center Joel Embiid after the loss. "But that's not an excuse. You've just got to go out there every single night and try to do what we talk about. Whether it's film sessions, shootarounds, or practices, we've got to be better prepared. We've got to know assignments. There are a lot of times where we're just lost on the court offensively and defensively. So, we've just got to be focused."

After the game, Embiid and one of his co-stars, Tobias Harris, preached togetherness to the Sixers. While the team understands they don't have everybody in the mix and on the floor, they can't rely on guys who aren't able to play and use absences as an excuse when things don't go their way.

"Offensively, we missed [Seth Curry]," said Tobias Harris. "Just his three-point shooting and playmaking as well. When guys are out and have roles for our team, we are going to miss them. But to be honest with you, we were up 20 points, and we should've won the game. We still would've missed him then, with a win. But at the end of the day, that should've been our game, for sure."

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