Sixers fined $25,000 for injury report violation concerning Simmons

On Monday, the NBA announced the Philadelphia 76ers were fined $25,000 for violating injury reporting procedures.

Ben Simmons was scratched shortly before the Sixers 3 p.m. game against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday due to left knee swelling. However, Simmons was not listed on the injury report the preceding Friday night, and the league demands that final injury reports be released at 8:30 p.m. the day before any games.

Speaking to the media before Saturday's game, head coach Doc Rivers referred to the injury as 'knee stiffness' that flared up during the Sixers Thursday night loss to the Brooklyn Nets. The pain is in the same knee Simmons injured last season, which led to season ending surgery.

The current injury is not expected to be serious. The Sixers said Simmons did respond well to treatments, and is expected to be day-to-day. He did not travel with the team to Atlanta for Monday night's matchup with the Hawks.

The Sixers will have nine players available for tonight's contest, including Joel Embiid, who missed Saturday's contest with back soreness. Curiously, the league did not levy any punishment for his absence, only being listed on Friday's report for the health and safety protocol following contact tracing after Seth Curry's positive COVID-19 test. Several Sixers remain out from that incident, including Curry, Tobias Harris, and Shake Milton.