The Philadelphia 76ers will be without LeBron James and Joel Embiid on Saturday night in Charlotte, with both stars ruled out as the team works through injuries in the second half of a back-to-back.
James is listed on the injury report with low back/sciatica management, while Embiid will miss the game because of right foot plantar fascia injury management.
Philadelphia heads into the matchup at 5-1 after edging the New York Knicks 98-93 on Friday night in the NBA Cup opener, a win that kept the team’s strong start to the 2026-27 season rolling.
Both James and Embiid logged heavy minutes in that victory. James posted 20 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, one steal and one block in 34 minutes, shooting 8-for-15 from the floor and 2-for-6 from deep. Embiid added 10 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, one steal and one block in 33 minutes, but had a rough shooting night, going 3-for-12 overall and missing all four of his 3-point tries.
James has been productive through five games, averaging 16.4 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, 1.6 steals and one block while shooting 44.9% from the field. Embiid is averaging 19.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists and one block in 35.2 minutes per game, shooting 40% from the field.
Philadelphia was already playing Friday without Jaylen Brown, who was ruled out shortly before tip-off with left patellar tendinopathy. Brown remains questionable for Saturday, along with Tacko Fall, who is dealing with a left quadriceps strain, and Jabari Walker, who has left patellar tendinopathy.
The injury report also includes Dominick Barlow, who is out with a low back stress reaction, and Ariel Hukporti, who is out with a right Achilles tendon rupture.
Without James and Embiid, the 76ers may lean more on Tyrese Maxey and the rest of the rotation to try to keep the early-season momentum going. Philadelphia visits the Hornets, who are 3-3, at 6 p.m. ET on NBA TV.
In Other News...
76ers Suddenly Face A Starting Five Dilemma In Charlotte
After taking care of the Knicks, the 76ers now have to solve a different kind of problem in Charlotte: how to piece together a starting group without LeBron James and Joel Embiid for the second night of a back-to-back. Nick Nurse is already weighing his options, and the decision could shape everything from the opening tip to how Philadelphia matches up across the floor.
One path would be to lean into size and give Adem Bona and Dean Wade a look in the first five, while another would be to go smaller and use Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to help cover the gaps. Jaylen Brown is also questionable, and the Hornets own availability questions around Jabari Walker and Tacko Fall could add another wrinkle to a game that already looks like it may come down to lineup math as much as execution. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Let Another Tight Game Slip As Tempers Boil Late
A tight game in Charlotte turned into another frustrating finish for the Hornets, who watched Philadelphia pull away late in a 109-104 loss at Spectrum Center. The 76ers were without Joel Embiid and LeBron James, but Tyrese Maxey carried the scoring load with 38 points as Philadelphia steadied itself down the stretch and kept climbing in the standings.
For Charlotte, the bigger concern was not just the result but the way the night unraveled as emotions flared late in a game the Hornets had a chance to grab. Philadelphia moved to six wins on the season and into the top seed in the Western Conference, while the Hornets were left to sort through another close call that slipped away in front of their home crowd. [Read more 🡒]
Maxey Is Giving This Shorthanded Sixers Team A Real Identity
Tyrese Maxey is doing more than carrying the scoring load for the shorthanded 76ers, he is helping define what this group can look like when the roster is stretched thin. On Halloween, he poured in 38 points to lift Philadelphia past the Hornets, 109-104, in a game that asked plenty of the Sixers because they were missing Joel Embiid and LeBron James, while Charlotte was also down several regulars.
The bigger takeaway for Philadelphia was not just the win, but the way the supporting cast fit around Maxey. Anfernee Simons, Jaylen Brown, Jabari Walker and VJ Edgecombe all had notable roles in the victory, giving the Sixers a little more structure and balance than a one-man show. For a team trying to stay afloat through injuries, that kind of identity matters as much as the final score. [Read more 🡒]