Section 215
Fansided

76ers must prove they can win without Ben Simmons against Nuggets

By Dan Parzych

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 04: Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers handles the ball against Mikal Bridges #25 of the Phoenix Suns during the second half of the NBA game at Talking Stick Resort Arena on November 04, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the 76ers 114-109. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 04: Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers handles the ball against Mikal Bridges #25 of the Phoenix Suns during the second half of the NBA game at Talking Stick Resort Arena on November 04, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the 76ers 114-109. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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Ben Simmons will be missing in action for the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday due to a shoulder injury.

After starting the 2019-20 season off on a hot note with five wins in a row, the Philadelphia 76ers have come back down to earth with two tough losses in a row, with the latest coming on Wednesday against the Phoenix Suns.

Since no team is perfect in the NBA, it seemed like only a matter of time before the Sixers ended up on the losing end for the first time, but also the team suffered another loss on Wednesday after Ben Simmons was forced to leave with a shoulder injury.

Luckily, Philadelphia caught a major break in this one with Simmons since the star guard is only dealing with a sprained AC join in the right shoulder since the team will need all of the help possible when it comes to competing in the difficult Eastern Conference.

With Simmons already ruled out for Friday’s game against the Denver Nuggets, this will be another good test to see how the Sixers look in action without him in the lineup, because Philadelphia was certainly hurting at times in the loss to the Suns.

No one should be fooled by the 114-109 box score since fans watching the game will be the first to say how much the Sixers struggled for the most part once Simmons was forced to leave the game.

Facing one of the top teams in the Western Conference in Denver was already going to be a difficult challenge for Philadelphia, and their task obviously becomes tougher without Simmons in the lineup.

But also, just because Simmons won’t be able to play doesn’t necessarily mean the Sixers should be ruled out when it comes to having a chance to earn a win over the Nuggets.

Outside of Simmons, Philadelphia still has plenty of talent to cause all sorts of problems for Denver, and needs to prove they can still win games without one of their stars.

Adjusting without Joel Embiid in the previous two games before Phoenix was obviously challenging enough for the Sixers, and having to play without Simmons on Friday will be on a similar level.

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At least if Philadelphia does in fact find a way to end their losing streak in Denver without Simmons in the lineup, it will add to the list of reasons over why the Sixers deserve to be in the category of a top contender in the league.