We knew coming into the Philadelphia 76ers’ upcoming back-to-back that Joel Embiid would not be playing both games. We suspected the same for Paul George. The only question was whether they would sit out
Monday or Tuesday, and we now know the answer, with the veteran stars announced as out for Monday in Charlotte.
The decision makes sense from a couple perspectives. The Hornets game is on the road versus Tuesday against Milwaukee at home. Also, the game time for Monday was pushed up to 3:00pm due to the weather situation. I imagine with guys having a coordinated maintenance schedule for their past injuries, you would want to stick to a similar routine throughout the day as much as possible. Let both veterans have a normal day in their home city and arena before taking the court at a customary hour.
The Sixers will certainly miss both guys against the Hornets. After seemingly struggling some to ramp up his conditioning and regain a rhythm earlier in the season, Embiid is currently in the midst of his best stretch of the season, having scored at least 30 points in four straight appearances. He is coming off his first triple-double of the season against Houston, followed by a 38-point, 11-rebound, five-assist effort against the Knicks. Joel has appeared in 25 of the Sixers’ 44 games thus far, while Paul George has also taken the court 25 times.
Currently 24-20 and in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, the Sixers will look to defeat the 18-28 Hornets down two starters. We’ll find out how they fare tomorrow afternoon.
