Philadelphia 76ers teammates Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons were ruled out of the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday after being flagged by coronavirus contact tracing, prompting some players to question again why the exhibition was being played during a pandemic.

The 76ers and the NBA learned of the situation with Embiid and Simmons — which stemmed from getting haircuts — on Saturday night and made the decision Sunday morning that neither could play about nine hours before the scheduled tipoff.

The game in Atlanta went forward as scheduled.

“It’s just an unfortunate time in the world where our health and safety should be at the front of the helm,” All-Star Paul George of the Los Angeles Clippers said Sunday from Atlanta, several hours before the game. “I personally didn’t agree with the game but, you know, it is what it is.”