Sixers Dealing with Illness Bug Ahead of Final Home Game of 2025
PHILADELPHIA - As the calendar winds down on 2025, the Philadelphia 76ers are facing more than just the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night - they’re also battling a wave of illness that's hit the locker room at an inconvenient time.
Already down Kelly Oubre Jr. and Trendon Watford, the Sixers have now ruled out three more key rotation players: VJ Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes, and Dominick Barlow. All three were listed as questionable earlier in the day, but the team made the call to sit them after symptoms lingered and, in Edgecombe’s case, newly developed.
The illness, which has been working its way through the roster, forced Philadelphia to cancel Tuesday morning’s shootaround - a rare move that signals just how cautious the team is being. Head coach Nick Nurse explained the situation before tip-off, noting that it may have started with Tyrese Maxey, who recently missed two games himself.
“It has kind of gone for a bit,” Nurse said. “It probably started with Tyrese, but that would seem to be an isolated case, and now it’s kind of making its way a little bit, obviously.
The guys that weren’t feeling great yesterday didn’t report to practice. This morning when we didn’t see much improvement and added another to the list, we postponed shootaround.”
The Sixers are taking no chances. With multiple players under the weather and no signs of immediate improvement, the decision to keep them out was as much about protecting the rest of the roster as it was about their individual recoveries.
What does this mean on the court? Philadelphia will need to lean on its depth - and fast.
Edgecombe has been carving out a role with his energy and defensive versatility, while Grimes brings perimeter shooting and Barlow provides frontcourt support. With all three out, expect to see more minutes for bench players who’ve been waiting for their opportunity to step up.
It’s a tough break for a team trying to maintain rhythm heading into the new year, but this is the kind of adversity that tests a roster’s resilience. The Sixers have shown flashes of grit throughout the season, and Tuesday night’s matchup offers another chance to prove they can adapt on the fly.
This time of year always brings challenges - whether it’s injuries, travel fatigue, or in this case, a team-wide bug. For the Sixers, it’s about staying healthy, staying ready, and finding a way to close out 2025 at home on a high note.