The 76ers will be without both LeBron James and Joel Embiid when they meet the Hornets on Saturday night, a notable blow for a game that comes on the second night of a back-to-back for both teams.
Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. ET at Spectrum Center, and Philadelphia’s injury report also keeps a few other names in play.
James is out for lower back and sciatica management, while Embiid is sidelined for management of a right foot plantar fascia injury. Both were on the floor Friday in the NBA Cup win over the New York Knicks, and Saturday marks the second game each has missed this season.
The 76ers are 5-1, sitting second in the Eastern Conference and unbeaten on the road at 2-0. They may also be without Jaylen Brown, who is questionable after missing Friday’s win over the Knicks.
Brown, acquired from the Boston Celtics in July, has been dealing with a left knee issue that surfaced after Wednesday’s 114-109 win at Indiana. He was unable to go through Friday shootaround, and what was first described as soreness is now listed as left patellar tendinopathy.
Nick Nurse said Brown’s return depends on "treatment and pain tolerance," according to the coach.
Philadelphia’s report also includes Tacko Fall (quad) and Jabari Walker (knee) as questionable, while Dominick Barlow is out with a back injury. Ariel Hukporti has been out for the season since rupturing his Achilles.
Charlotte, meanwhile, will once again be missing Kon Knueppel, Coby White, and Grant Williams. The Hornets are 3-3 and have been playing without that trio for a while now. Knueppel’s left hamstring injury was announced on Sept. 25 after an offseason on-court workout, White’s left calf strain was reported on Oct. 5 during training camp, and Williams is dealing with a right hamstring issue.
Charles Lee has repeatedly said there was no firm timetable for the group. On Oct. 18, he said, "I think there's still no timeline on those guys," Hornets coach Charles Lee said on Oct.
- "They're making really good progress, I think day by day they've kind of stepped up what they've been able to do on the court, adding some level of contact to their workouts as well."
Two days before the opener in Brooklyn, Charlotte said all three had returned to individual work on the court, though none were available for that game. Lee later said on Oct.
26, "No timeline, as far as I know right now," Lee explained on Oct. 26, with a road trip to Detroit and Washington next. "I hope that during this road trip, or after the road trip, we'll get a little bit more information."
The Hornets dropped both games on that trip, including a 95-79 loss in Washington. Knueppel spent part of that stretch in Greensboro, where he was assigned on Oct. 29 to the Swarm, Charlotte’s G League affiliate, to continue his rehab.
Knueppel was the fourth overall pick out of Duke in 2025 and played 81 games as a rookie. He averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 42.5% from 3.
Dennis Schröder is no longer on the injury report after playing through a foot injury in Washington on a questionable tag.
Charlotte’s offense has been stuck in the mud lately. Friday’s 79 points and the 81 it scored against Atlanta on Oct. 23 are the two lowest totals any NBA team has posted this season. Brandon Miller finished with 19 points in Washington, four days after erupting for a career-high 39 against the same Wizards.
In Other News...
Hornets Catch A Big Opening As Sixers Stars Suddenly Waver
The early-season injury report has already put Philadelphia in a tricky spot, and that creates a little extra intrigue for Charlotte as the Hornets look ahead to a matchup that suddenly feels more manageable than it did a few days ago. The 76ers are already taking a cautious approach with their stars, limiting minutes and leaning into rest this early in the calendar as they try to protect the long haul.
For Charlotte, the opening matters because it changes the shape of the game before it even tips off. Philadelphia may have to lean more heavily on Tyrese Maxey if another key piece is sidelined, and the Hornets will be watching the status page closely to see just how thin the Sixers are willing to go. The gap between a full-strength opponent and one missing multiple high-end options can be the difference between chasing the game and having a real chance to control it. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Face One Telling Young Core Decision Before Monday
The rookie-scale option deadline is arriving with a familiar kind of pressure for front offices, and Charlotte is among the teams still sorting through its young-core decisions before Monday. Across the league, clubs have already moved on 35 of these 2027-28 team options, but several remain unresolved, including a cluster of choices that will help shape how teams manage both development and future flexibility.
For the Hornets, the remaining calls are especially relevant because they sit at the intersection of roster planning and long-term cap management. Charlotte still has unresolved decisions on several first-round picks, and the front office will have to weigh role, upside and financial timing as it closes in on the deadline. The answers are expected soon, but for now the Hornets are still in the middle of one of those quiet roster checkpoints that can say plenty about how a team views its own young talent. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Offense Is Becoming A Problem Fans Cant Ignore
Opening night of the 2026 NBA Cup brought plenty of headline-grabbing action around the league, from Stephen Curry powering the Warriors back from a big first-quarter hole against the Lakers to Luka Doni putting up 37 in a losing effort for Dallas. But for Charlotte, the more pressing takeaway came in its loss to Washington, where the offense again looked stuck in neutral and the kind of scoring droughts that have haunted the early season were impossible to miss.
For a team trying to establish any kind of rhythm, this is becoming a real concern. The Hornets have already been part of far too many low-output nights, and the pattern is hard to brush aside when the shots are not falling and the pace of the game never quite turns in their favor. Until that changes, every loss is going to feel bigger than the standings alone would suggest. [Read more 🡒]