76ers-Thunder game postponed due to ongoing contact tracing

Sunday night’s game between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Oklahoma City Thunder has been postponed. The Sixers didn’t not have the required eight players available because of ongoing COVID-19 contact tracing.

Official statement from the NBA:

Leading into Sunday’s scheduled game in Oklahoma City, Seth Curry and Vincent Poirier had been listed as out on the NBA’s 5:30 P.M. injury report because of the league’s health and safety protocols. Joel Embiid who has right knee pain and Mike Scott who has right knee swelling, did not travel with the team for unrelated COVID-19 reasons.

The 76ers learned that Curry testing positive for COVID-19 during the team’s Jan. 7 game against the Brooklyn Nets. He’s been away from the team since that night. Tobias Harris, Shake Milton, Matisse Thybulle, and Terrance Ferguson returned Thursday after being sidelined for health and safety protocols. 

It looked like the Sixers were warming up in Oklahoma City and expecting to play a game until around 5:30 P.M.

The Sixers have no new positive COVID-19 tests and that the postponement is related to contact tracing from Saturday night’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies. PhillyVoice’s Kyle Neubeck was first to report that the Sixers had no new positive tests.

The Grizzlies announced Sunday night that center Jonas Valančiūnas will be out for Memphis’ scheduled game Monday vs. the Suns because of the NBA’s health and safety protocols. 

The 76ers are scheduled to play the Boston Celtics on Wednesday and Friday in Philadelphia.

No news has come out about the rescheduling of Sunday’s postponement.