Just as the Philadelphia 76ers started getting healthier, they lost a couple of players to setbacks, including the star center, Joel Embiid.
Once again, Embiid's knee has become an issue, but it's not the same knee that required two surgeries in under two years. The positive news is that Embiid's latest MRI didn't reveal any structural issues. The veteran center is simply dealing with soreness, according to the team's head coach, Nick Nurse.
Still, Embiid hasn't been able to get on the court. Until he returns, his absence will remain a concern.
What's Embiid's Status for Wednesday vs. Toronto?
The Sixers are set to host the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night. When they participated in practice on Tuesday morning, the big man was a part of the action as a full participant. Nurse wasn't ready to make the call on Embiid's initial injury report status.
The 76ers haven’t ruled Embiid out, but his chances of playing are low. On the initial report, the Sixers listed the star big man as doubtful for Wednesday’s action.
The Sixers are coming off a 110-108 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, which helped them boost their record to 8-5.
While Embiid started the season off on a good note, suiting up for the team's opener and only missing action due to recovery/rest nights, the recent setback has kept him off the court since November 9.
In his first six games of the season, Embiid has averaged 19.7 points (46 percent shooting), coming down with 5.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists. Defensively, he was averaging nearly one steal per game and blocking 1.5 shots per game.
Although Embiid was healthy and available, he was playing on a restriction, failing to exceed 25 minutes of action in each of his six appearances this year.
The Sixers landed two boosts lately by seeing the debuts of Jared McCain and Paul George, while getting Dominick Barlow's return. Embiid, Kelly Oubre, and Adem Bona are among the players who are on the injury report this week.
Philadelphia will resume its schedule on Wednesday with a 7 PM ET matchup against the Raptors. They'll be back on the court on Thursday night to take on the Milwaukee Bucks on the road.
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