The Philadelphia 76ers are currently the 8th team in the East with an even 8-8 record.
They are battling it out among teams such as the Toronto Raptors ahead of them (9-8) and the Brooklyn Nets behind them (8-9).
That means that every game counts and there can be no off nights for Philly.
Well, they might experience a couple of them coming up.
76ers star Joel Embiid has a left mid-foot sprain and will miss the upcoming back-to-back games vs. Nets and Hornets. He will be re-evaluated in the coming days.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 21, 2022
The 76ers learned both good and bad news on Monday.
The bad news was that Joel Embiid has a left mid-foot sprain.
However, the good news is that he is only set to miss a couple of games.
These two games, back-to-backs against the Nets and Charlotte Hornets, will be without Embiid, James Harden, and Tyrese Maxey.
That’s a tough pill to swallow for Philadelphia fans.
Embiid’s Big Season
Embiid played for 36 pivotal minutes on Saturday in the team’s 112-109 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
With about 5 minutes left in the game, it looked like Embiid suffered the injury to his foot when Georges Niang crashed into Karl-Anthony Towns and rolled into him.
In total, Embiid put up 32 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists.
So far this season, he has been playing his heart out with an average of 32.3 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 4.6 assists – including an astonishing 59-point, 11-rebound game against the Utah Jazz on the 13 of November.
Embiid has his eyes set on the MVP trophy this year, an accomplishment he’s wanted to achieve for years now.
Based on what we have seen from him lately, that’s very possible.
In the grand scheme of things, Embiid’s upcoming absence could have been worse.
Still, the 76ers want a player of his caliber on the floor as much as possible.
