Joel Embiid Ruled Out For Tonight’s Game Against New Orleans Pelicans

Joel Embiid will miss yet another game, sitting out tonight’s matchup with right shin soreness and right knee injury management. This marks the fourth game in a row he’ll be watching from the bench. There is no timetable for his return. 

He missed the 76ers’ last two games before the All-Star break due to right knee injury management, the same thing that led to a multi-week absence in November. The team said on Wednesday that, as he worked to recover during the break, he reported shin soreness, which held him out of Thursday’s loss against the Atlanta Hawks.

76ers Need Embiid Badly

Without Embiid, the Philadelphia 76ers look completely lost on the court. Tyrese Maxey simply cannot carry the entire load without Embiid and Paul George, and they have no answers offensively without their star big man. His presence on the court changes everything about how opposing teams game-plan, which only gives Maxey and VJ Edgecombe better opportunities.

Maxey and Edgecombe both voiced how important Embiid is to this lineup and how hard it is to win games without him on the court. He was truly playing at an MVP level, averaging 26.6 PPG, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.9 assists while shooting 49.4%. Embiid looked like his old self and was finally having fun playing the game he’s always loved. Unfortunately, just like always, his knee issues have brought everything to a screeching halt. 

Will He Return Soon?

The team said Embiid had an on-court workout yesterday. If he were shut down completely, we’d know his injury is severe, but it just sounds like they’re being careful with him. Ideally, they’d like to have him back by next Sunday for a primetime matchup against the Boston Celtics. The reality is, the Sixers don’t have room for mistakes.

They are just one game ahead of the Orlando Magic, who are currently the 7th seed and in a play-in spot. Philadelphia should handle the Pelicans with ease tonight, even without Embiid and George, and they badly need to get back in the win column. They have lost three games in a row in ugly fashion and sit just five games over .500. New Orleans will be without Trey Murphy due to a shoulder injury, and he’s been one of their few bright spots this season.

76ers Need To Get Hot Fast

Without Embiid, the Philadelphia 76ers are falling fast, and they need to get themselves back on track starting tonight. They’re only 2.5 games out of the 5 seed, which is currently held by the Toronto Raptors.

Head Coach Nick Nurse hasn’t done a good job thus far of putting out the right lineups and rotating his players properly throughout games. If he wants to start winning, he has to be better and put his team in a better position.