When the Philadelphia 76ers took on the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night, they were nearly healthy once more. Joel Embiid, the team’s star center, was upgraded to probable on Friday night after sitting out their Wednesday night game against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to hip soreness. Embiid eventually received the go-ahead to play after being moved up to available.
However, not everyone benefited in the same way. Danuel House, a seasoned reserve, was added to the injury report a few hours before kickoff. Jaden Springer did not appear on the injury report at first, but the Sixers stated that he was absent from the game on Saturday due to a medical issue.
Before the game House was nursing a quad contusion. Less than an hour before the game began, the veteran who had originally been rated as questionable was downgraded to out. As for Springer, Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that he was coping with a medical condition. The Sixers announced that he would not be able to play while the game was already underway.
Despite appearing to be out of the rotation at the beginning of the 2023–2024 NBA season, Springer and House have recently seen an expansion in their roles. House started the season on the bench for five of the team’s first eight games.
House played more minutes in seven consecutive games before missing Saturday’s game. He played 16 minutes in the Minnesota game. House finished with three points, two rebounds, two assists, and two steals in that span.
Regarding Springer, he appeared in six games during the first ten of the season. Prior to the game against OKC, he participated in five straight matches.
The Sixers defeated a strong OKC team on the road despite playing without their two reserves. Twenty points were produced by the Springer, House-less bench unit. Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid both had outstanding games as the Sixers defeated the Thunder 127-123.
The Sixers improved to 11-5 on the year with that victory. On Monday night, they will be back on the court to play the Los Angeles Lakers. It’s unclear at this moment whether Springer and House are available.