The Philadelphia 76ers will play the Denver Nuggets as scheduled on Saturday after enough players were cleared from coronavirus protocol. 

Reports had suggested the game - tipping off at 15:00 ET - was in doubt due to close contact between the rest of the Sixers team and Seth Curry, who tested positive for COVID-19. 

Guard Curry, who is averaging 17.0 points per game this season, did not play against the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday due to an ankle issue. 

However, he was with the team, sitting on the bench for the first quarter before news of his positive result emerged. 

Contact tracing has seriously impacted Doc Rivers' options against the Nuggets, but the 7-2 Eastern Conference leaders have the required minimum of eight players listed as available.

Rivers revealed only seven would actually feature, though, with center Dwight Howard remarkably set to fill in at point guard.

"The last 36 hours have been nuts, as you would expect," Rivers said.

"Being held up in New York, doing multiple tests, waiting for tests, contact tracing, then getting the list of guys being out, getting back to Philly at one in the morning, getting to your house and trying to think, not knowing if you're playing or not.

"You're on the phone with your coaches until four in the morning, still not knowing. We were just trying to create some kind of game plan.

"Then coming here, an hour ago we were told we were playing. We have eight active players, and one is one that's been injured, in Mike Scott, and I can tell you now that there's no way that I'm going to play him.

"So you can make a case we have seven bodies to throw out. We had a walkthrough that I wasn't a part of because I was on a call with the league, so I have a list here that I've not even looked at.

"We're going to throw them together and Dwight Howard's going to play point guard tonight and we're going to see how it goes."