76ers: Beyond Ben Simmons, Are Any Nets on Game 1 Injury Report?

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The Brooklyn Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers are set to begin their first-round series on Saturday afternoon at the Wells Fargo Center. After getting a little less than a week off to practice and prepare for the matchup, both teams are relatively healthy heading into the game.
For the Sixers, they don’t have anybody listed on the injury report. That’s great news for Philly, considering the Sixers had a couple of injured prospects down the stretch of the regular season.
Although James Harden missed eight games during the final month, he’s been a full participant at practice this week and expects to see his minutes increase. As for the big man Joel Embiid, he’s also expected to play without limitations, although he dealt with calf tightness down the stretch of the regular season.
Similar to the Sixers, the Nets are in a good position health-wise. On the team’s injury report ahead of Game 1, the Nets have just one player listed, which was to be expected.
Ben Simmons Won’t Travel With Nets for NBA Playoffs vs. 76ers
Former Sixers All-Star Ben Simmons is the lone Nets player ruled out for Saturday’s game. As Simmons is recovering from a nerve impingement in his back, the veteran hasn’t been on the floor since Brooklyn’s February 15 matchup against the Miami Heat.
Brooklyn’s head coach Jacque Vaughn made it clear that Simmons will not make the trip to Philadelphia for the first two games of the series. Instead, Simmons will remain focused on his rehab in Brooklyn.
Other than Simmons, the Nets’ injury report is all clear ahead of Game 1. The two teams are set to begin the series on Saturday at 1 PM ET.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
SIXERS VS. NETS PREVIEW
76ers vs. Nets Schedule: The Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets will battle it out in the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs. On Wednesday afternoon, the NBA announced the full series schedule, which begins on Saturday. READ MORE
James Harden’s Health: Before the regular season concluded, Sixers star guard James Harden was battling Achilles soreness, which forced him to miss a handful of games down the stretch of the year. Since preparation for the playoffs began, Doc Rivers addressed how Harden has looked. READ MORE
Complimenting the Enemy: The MVP race is a hot topic. As Joel Embiid could potentially win the award, Nets forward Mikal Bridges dished his thoughts on the state of the MVP race, claiming that Embiid should be the one to win it this season. READ MORE
Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia
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