Joel Embiid will miss the Sixers' home game against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night, according to the team's initial injury report for the game, which gives Embiid a new designation of "right knee injury recovery" and lists Paul George as questionable with two designations: "left knee injury recovery" and "lower back tightness." Andre Drummond is also questionable with a right knee contusion:
Embiid returned from a nine-game absence on Sunday night and played a season-high 30 minutes in the Sixers' double-overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Of those nine consecutive missed games, the last eight came as a result of a right knee issue that was first addressed on Nov. 11. His new designation – "right knee injury recovery" replaces the old "right knee injury management" – is likely intended to indicate that this is more of a rest day than anything symptom-related.
George's left knee tag is the same, but the added back tightness designation is also a troubling sign. After playing a season-high 28 minutes on Sunday, George said that his body felt good but volunteered a comment that he was experiencing back tightness. He did not act too concerned about it, but a day later it is enough for him to have a second designation on the injury report.
Drummond hurt his knee on Friday night in Brooklyn, experiencing so much pain that he needed a wheelchair. But Drummond avoided any structural damage, was day-to-day and shockingly did not miss any games. He was upgraded from questionable to available on Sunday, but after playing six minutes in the first quarter against Atlanta he did not appear again. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said Drummond experience soreness in that right knee and was ruled out for the remainder of the game at halftime.
Kelly Oubre Jr. (left knee sprain) and Trendon Watford (left adductor strain) remain out as well, with both of their absences expected. Watford is early into his two-week re-evaluation timeline, but an update on Oubre should come at some point this week; the veteran swingman has missed two-plus weeks with an LCL injury.
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