The Philadelphia 76ers have won just three of their last 10 games and are 10-21 without Joel Embiid this year. Still, the 76ers brass is confident that Embiid will return to action and lead them to the playoffs.
With talk of tanking surrounding the team, Philadelphia improved to 17-27 on the season with two big wins over Eastern Conference foes over the past few days. The Sixers, decimated by injuries recently, defeated Cleveland and Chicago on Friday and Saturday to move within one game of the Bulls for the conference’s final Play-In spot. The victory over the Bulls gave the Sixers their first victory in back-to-back contests this season.
76ers Eyeing Playoffs As Joel Embiid Could Return During Upcoming Homestand
Over the last two games, Philadelphia has averaged 120.5 points on 48% shooting from the field and 17 threes at a 40.5% clip. The 76ers outscored their two opponents by 15 points, forcing 36 turnovers and limiting them to 46.5% shooting from the field, though the two teams combined for 37 treys at a 41.1% clip.
Tyrese Maxey led the way for the Sixers by averaging 30 points, eight assists, two steals, and 1.5 blocks while shooting 51.2/42.9/100. Kelly Oubre Jr. was also excellent in both games, compiling a double-double in each contest and averaging 22 points along with 12.5 boards and 3.0 assists with shooting splits of 50/37.5/70. Paul George, Guershon Yabulese, Eric Gordon, and Justin Edwards also performed strongly.
We’re piecing it together the best we can,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said after the Bulls game, responding to how the 76ers were managing following the injuries.
Good and Potential Injury Updates
Philadelphia also got some positive news on the injury front, as Kyle Lowry returned to action against the Bulls after missing three weeks of action. Still, the Sixers have several players dealing with injuries. Andre Drummond has missed the past two games and eight of the past 10 due to a toe injury. Embiid has missed 11 straight, Caleb Martin (eight), KJ Martin (17), and Jared McCain (out for the season).
However, George exited the game in the second quarter against the Bulls after jamming his pinky. George was expected to undergo an MRI sometime today to determine the extent of the damage. The 34-year-old, who tallied a career-high 34 points against Cleveland on Friday, has already missed 14 contests.
“You feel bad for him,” Maxey told Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, “especially because now you think he’s finding his rhythm, kind of finding his niche where he fits in with the offense with Joe [Joel Embiid] and without Joe. And that kind of [stinks]. … Praying for him. And you know, I don’t really know what happened yet. So whatever it is, I’ll see and just pray for him.”
Consider George to be day-to-day unless the MRI found something requiring surgery or something else.
When Could Joel Embiid Return For Philly
Due to the weekend wins, Philadelphia is one game behind Chicago (19-27) for the last play-in spot. The 76ers, who have the fifth easiest schedule per Tankathon from now on, are five and a half games out of sixth place. Embiid could be back at some point during the Sixers’ season-high six-game homestand, which begins Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Embiid has been out since January 4th due to a sprained left foot. While the “Big Fella” was practicing while recovering from that injury, he suffered swelling in his left knee during workouts. It was said that he would be reevaluated in 7 to 10 days, making tomorrow the end of that timeframe.
In an article today, David Aldridge of The Athletic said that the Sixers brass believe that Embiid won’t need surgery and will return to the floor sooner rather than later. Aldridge said that the 76ers don’t believe that extended rest for Embiid is the way to go. Moreover, he added that think the Sixers does better when he’s engaged in trying to ramp up to return to action.
“We’re still really happy with Joel,” 76ers majority owner Josh Harris told Aldridge. “He’s a warrior. I’ve seen this. He’s fought through a lot of injuries…He’s fighting right now, and we’re fighting. And I’m hopeful and optimistic that we’ll get through.
“I want him to get his body right and get on the court,” Harris continued. “If he gets back on the court, everything’s going to fall into place. I know him as a person, and I know him as an individual, and I know how hard he’s working. I’m hopeful that he’ll fight through this and make it happen, and that’s what we’re going to plan for right now.”
Embiid Has Plenty of Opportunities While Sixers Are At Home
If Embiid does not return on Tuesday, he will have plenty of opportunity to return before the trade deadline—of course, unless there is some bad news when he gets reevaluated, which doesn’t seem to be the case. The 76ers host Sacramento on Wednesday and Denver on Friday. They remain home through February 5th with games against Boston, Dallas, and Miami.
There was thought that Philadelphia may tank to preserve their top-6 protected first-round pick in this year’s draft. But Harris said that is not the case:
“I would say that, again, we always start with trying to build elite teams,” he said. “We started this season with two potential Hall of Famers and one All-Star. We were very excited about the season. Obviously, it’s been a disappointing season. No one’s happy with where we are. We’re not happy. The injuries haven’t helped us. The elite team we had hasn’t been on the court more than seven games, where they started and finished the game. We won six of seven of those. I think we got it right.”
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