Sixers’ Ben Simmons, Al Horford Won’t Play vs. Pistons
PHILADELPHIA, PA (973espn.com) -- The two-game road trip has come to an end for the Sixers' 2019 NBA Preseason. Now, the team will look to finish the offseason strong with a couple of home matchups before tipping off the 2019-2020 NBA Season.
For the most part, the Sixers have remained relatively healthy throughout training camp and the start of the preseason. With only a couple of minor injuries to report, there hasn't been much to talk about on the medical front for Philly, which is quite the change of pace.
That streak will end on Tuesday night, though, as the Sixers are expected to be without a handful of players. It's not all bad news, though. Sixers' big man Al Horford has been ruled out for the Detroit Pistons matchup on Tuesday, but his concern is non-injury related.
On Tuesday, the Sixers will do with Al Horford what the did with Joel Embiid this past Friday. Considering that Horford is an established veteran, he doesn't need preseason as much as the younger guys. Therefore, a planned absence is necessary to get Horford some rest and get the young guys some burn, so head coach Brett Brown can tinker with some other lineups in case that situation comes about in the regular season.
As for a couple of other guys, though, they are dealing with actual injuries. Sixers' reserve forward James Ennis suffered a lower-body injury in Sunday's win over the Orlando Magic. His injury has been diagnosed as a right calf strain. For that, Ennis will miss Tuesday's matchup as he looks to get better.
Starting guard Ben Simmons, on the other hand, is dealing with some tightness in his back. So Simmons has been already ruled out for the matchup against Detroit as well. Both injuries do not appear to be severe as of right now. So Ennis and Simmons' status is still up in the air moving forward beyond Tuesday's game.