The Philadelphia 76ers will spend their final two games of the regular season trying to fight off the Cleveland Cavaliers for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, but they may have to play at least one of those without rookie sensation Ben Simmons.
Molly Sullivan of NBC Sports Philly reports that Simmons missed the Sixers’ shootaround on Tuesday and may sit out against the Atlanta Hawks, as he is dealing with a stomach virus.
Ben Simmons did not participate in shootaround…he has gastroenteritis and is currently getting fluids at the hotel. Questionable for tonight in Atlanta
— Molly Sullivan (@MollySullivanTV) April 10, 2018
With the playoffs set to begin this weekend, the last thing the 76ers need is a stomach bug ripping through their locker room. They’d be wise to keep Simmons isolated if he is dealing with something contagious, so it would not be a shock if the 21-year-old sat out for Tuesday’s game and Wednesday’s finale.
Simmons is averaging 16.0 points, 8.2 assists and 8.1 rebounds per game this year after he missed his entire first season in the NBA with an injury. If you want to know how important he is to Philadelphia’s success, just ask him.
