76ers guard Curry tests positive for COVID-19

The Philadelphia 76ers learned early in Thursday night’s 122-109 loss to the Brooklyn Nets that starting shooting guard Seth Curry tested positive for COVID-19, per ESPN.

Curry sat out of the contest with a sore left ankle and spent the first quarter on the bench seated beside center Joel Embiid and assistant coach Sam Cassell. He wore his mask appropriately. Upon learning of the testing results, Curry was immediately moved to a separate isolation room in the Barclays Center.

After the game, Philadelphia personnel were forced to quarantine through the night and conduct contact tracing on Friday morning, followed by additional virus testing. At present, the team is still expected to host the Denver Nuggets on Saturday afternoon pending results. Additionally, the Nets are still scheduled to face the Grizzlies in Memphis on Friday night. The Wizards, whom the Sixers hosted on Wednesday night, are also proceeding with their schedule normally.

Per NBA health and safety protocols, players who test positive cannot return to work until they have isolated for at least 10 days following the positive result, or until they have recorded two subsequent negative results at least 24 hours apart with PCR testing. A number of players have been sidelined in the early going due to positive testing, but only the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder’s season opener has been postponed. Houston did not have enough available players to participate in that game following contact tracing.

Prior to the beginning of training camp, Sixers rookie guard Tyrese Maxey and forward Mike Scott tested positive.

The loss of Curry will be a significant blow to the Sixers. The 30-year-old has proven to be a snug fit in the starting lineup, averaging a career-high 17.0 points and connecting on a scintillating 59.5% of his 5.3 3-point attempts per game.