The Sixers may be without both of their biggest names when they host the Raptors on Thursday night.
Joel Embiid and LeBron James were each listed as questionable on Wednesday’s initial injury report. Embiid is dealing with right foot plantar fascia injury management, while James is listed with low back/sciatica management.
That’s the same report that also ruled out Adem Bona and Dominick Barlow. Bona is sidelined with a cervical spine sprain, and Barlow remains out with a back issue.
The status of Embiid and James comes after both had a rough night in the Sixers’ lopsided home loss to the Celtics on Tuesday. Philadelphia has had its full starting lineup available in nine of its first 12 games this season, but there’s a case for giving the two stars a night off with the way the early schedule has been stacked.
Bona has missed the last three games after suffering a neck injury in Detroit last Wednesday, when he turned in his best performance of the season. The good news is that the injury did not appear serious, and he’s expected back sooner rather than later.
Barlow is a different story. He’s been out for more than a month with a back problem, though he has been working out on the court for some time and doesn’t appear to have lost any athleticism. If he can return sometime this month, that would give the Sixers a much-needed boost in the frontcourt.
Toronto’s injury report won’t come until Thursday afternoon, since the Raptors are in action against the Celtics on Wednesday night. One name is already known, though: Kawhi Leonard was ruled out on Tuesday for at least another week because of continued knee issues.
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Joel Embiid Just Gave The Sixers Another Brutal Health Scare
Joel Embiid gave the 76ers another tense moment in their game against the Celtics when he took a hard fall and limped to the locker room before halftime. He did come back for the second half, which was the immediate relief Philadelphia needed, but the scene was a reminder of how fragile the margin is around its franchise center.
Embiid has already been working through plantar fasciitis and recently tweaked his ankle, so any new stumble naturally sets off alarms for a team with limited depth behind him at center. His status is expected to be day-to-day, but for the Sixers, the bigger concern is how often they can keep absorbing these scares without it turning into something more serious. [Read more 🡒]
Joel Embiid Is Back In A Debate Sixers Fans Dread
Joel Embiid gave the Sixers another uneasy reminder of how quickly a game can turn tense when he went down awkwardly against the Celtics and appeared to tweak his ankle before heading off the floor at halftime. He did return for the second half and even knocked down a three-pointer, but the sequence was enough to put Philadelphia back in the familiar position of monitoring every stumble, grimace and slow walk from its franchise center.
Bill Simmons added another layer to the conversation by criticizing Embiids reactions to injuries, a familiar and frustrating topic for a fan base that has heard plenty of outside commentary about its star. For the Sixers, the concern is less about the debate itself than the bigger picture around Embiids availability and how every minor scare seems to reopen the same conversation all over again. [Read more 🡒]
How Jayson Tatum Helped Boston Crack The Sixers Late
Bostons late surge against the Sixers came from the kind of clean offensive execution that can break a game open in a hurry. The Celtics used screens, pick-and-rolls and sharp spacing to manufacture open three-point looks, with Payton Pritchard and Jayson Tatum repeatedly at the center of it. Philadelphia had trouble sorting out the action, and the defensive breakdowns gave Boston the room it needed to keep piling up good shots.
For the Sixers, the frustrating part was how quickly a tight game slipped away once those possessions started landing. Even with Joel Embiid on the floor, Boston found ways to create separation and then leaned into a decisive run that turned the matchup into a blowout. It was a reminder of how punishing the Celtics can be when their ball movement and shot creation are both working at the same time. [Read more 🡒]