San Antonio Spurs vs Philadelphia 76ers: Injury Report, Predicted Lineups and Starting 5s - January 7th, 2022 | NBA Season 2021-22

The heavily undermanned San Antonio Spurs will hope to upset the Philadelphia 76ers in their matchup on Friday in Philly. [Photo: ipn.org.vn] Three starters are out of the lineup of the San Antonio Spurs due to the virus. [Photo: Pounding the Rock]

The road-weary San Antonio Spurs roll to another away game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday at Wells Fargo Center. San Antonio pulled off a big upset against the healthy Boston Celtics and will hope to do the same against the favored 76ers.

Dejounte Murray’s return from health and safety protocols paid immediate dividends as the Spurs squeaked through the skin of their teeth against the Celtics. The win marked another milestone in head coach Gregg Popovich's career. He’s now the first to coach 2,000 games in the NBA with the same team.

The 76ers, behind Joel Embiid’s incredible recent string of games, have won five in a row. Embiid also got a ton of help from the rest of the roster. Seth Curry’s shooting and 12 assists were huge in keeping the athletic Orlando Magic team at bay. Ditto for Furkan Korkmaz, who had a very well-rounded game that kept punishing the double-teams at their superstar center.

magical night in Orlando.

📹 Game Highlights vs. Orlando Magic | 01.05.21 https://t.co/KoQWCOozuN

Doc Rivers knows that the Spurs always play hard and will try to execute their plays regardless of how depleted their lineup is now. They will have to be on their toes to maintain their intensity and focus for the whole 48 minutes to avoid an upset.

San Antonio Spurs Injury Report

The official injury report for the Spurs is quite long and contains some notable names. Keldon Johnson, Doug McDermott, Devin Vassell, Derrick White and Thad Young are four significant contributors who are under virus protocols. They are not traveling with the team to face the Philadelphia 76ers.

Lonnie Walker IV and Devontae Cacok have been ruled questionable as they ramp up conditioning.

Player:	Status:	Reason:
Cacok, Devontae	Questionable	Return to Competition Reconditioning
Collins, Zach	Out	Injury/Illness - Left Ankle; Stress Fracture
Johnson, Keldon	Out	Health and Safety Protocols
McDermott, Doug	Out	Health and Safety Protocols
Vassell, Devin	Out	Health and Safety Protocols
Walker IV, Lonnie	Questionable	Return to Competition Reconditioning
White, Derrick	Out	Health and Safety Protocols
Young, Thaddeus	Out	Health and Safety Protocols

Philadelphia 76ers Injury Report

Philly has seemingly had someone under health and safety protocols since the season started. Paul Reed, Jaden Springer and Tyrese Maxey are currently sidelined due to the virus. Danny Green (calf) and Isaiah Joe (back) are questionable. Shake Milton (back) and Ben Simmons (personal) will not suit up either.

Player:	Status:	Reason:
Green, Danny	Questionable	Injury/Illness - Left Calf; Tightness
Joe, Isaiah	Questionable	Injury/Illness - Right Side of Back; Pain
Maxey, Tyrese	Out	Health and Safety Protocols
Milton, Shake	Out	Injury/Illness - Back; Contusion
Reed, Paul	Out	Health and Safety Protocols
Simmons, Ben	Out	Personal Reasons
Springer, Jaden	Out	Health and Safety Protocols

San Antonio Spurs vs Philadelphia 76ers:

Predicted Lineups

San Antonio Spurs

The Silver and Black team is almost unrecognizable right now. Three of their starters will be out, so Gregg Popovich's starting lineup could really look odd. Tre Jones could start at point guard and allow Dejounte Murray to play shooting guard.

Déjà vu DJ 👀

@DejounteMurray delivered once again down the stretch against Boston with similar clutch buckets! #NBAAllStar https://t.co/KsKqKGhWX6

Joe Wieskamp and Keita Bates-Diop will be the improvised forward pairing. Jakob Poeltl will take up his usual role as the starting center.

Philadelphia 76ers

Seth Curry and Furkan Korkmaz have played very well together in Tyrese Maxey's absence. They should get the nod again against the Spurs. Georges Niang should be the small forward if Danny Green is not cleared to play.

Joel Embiid over his last 6 games:

33.7 PPG
10.0 RPG
1.7 BPG
1.5 SPG
54% FG
48% 3PT
85% FT

#JoelEmbiid #NBAAllStar https://t.co/l7HyNWsF4c

Tobias Harris and Joel Embiid will have their usual power forward and starting center roles, respectively.

San Antonio Spurs vs Philadelphia 76ers:

Starting 5s

San Antonio Spurs

Point Guard - Tre Jones | Shooting Guard - Dejounte Murray | Small Forward - Joe Wieskamp | Power Forward - Keita Bates-Diop | Center - Jakob Poeltl

Philadelphia 76ers

Point Guard - Seth Curry | Shooting Guard - Furkan Korkmaz | Small Forward - Georges Niang | Power Forward - Tobias Harris | Center - Joel Embiid