Georges Niang Set to Return for Sixers' Sunday Matchup vs. Wizards

Philadelphia 76ers veteran forward Georges Niang has been one of a handful of Sixers dealing with a case of COVID-19.

Last month, several Sixers, including Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle, Isaiah Joe, and Joel Embiid, entered the NBA's health and safety protocol. After those four were cleared, the Sixers went weeks without seeing another case.

But as the NBA dealt with a significant league-wide outbreak, Philly found a handful of players entering the protocol once again in December. Georges Niang became the first Sixer to enter the protocol this month.

As the Sixers geared up for their matchup against the Miami Heat nearly two weeks ago, Niang was entered into the protocol and was forced to miss his first game of the year. Unfortunately, the Miami matchup wouldn't be the only game he missed.

With games against the Brooklyn Nets, Boston Celtics, and the Atlanta Hawks, Niang was away from the Sixers. During that four-game stretch, Philadelphia went 1-3. In addition to losing Niang to the protocol, the Sixers also lost Shake Milton, Andre Drummond, and Danny Green who have missed the last couple of games.

Niang on Pace to Return

At this point, Niang has been cleared out of the NBA's health and safety protocol.

After getting clearance, Niang was with the Sixers in Washington D.C. and was present for the team's morning shootaround on Sunday. At the time, his status for Sunday was still listed as questionable on Philadelphia's injury report. However, after going through shootaround on Sunday morning, Niang has been upgraded to available on Sunday.

The Sixers and the Wizards are set to tip-off at 6:00 PM EST.

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

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