Is that an injury report with good news?
The Sixers released theirs ahead of their NBA cup matchup at home against the Orlando Magic, and on it Joel Embiid has been upgraded to questionable. Embiid has missed the last seven games with a right knee injury. He was a late scratch back on Nov. 11 with what was called knee soreness, before it was eventually upgraded to a knee injury.
That isn’t necessarily a guarantee the big fella will be in the lineup against Orlando. Amongst one of the seven he missed he was listed as doubtful before being eventually ruled out, but he has been trending in the right direction, fully participating in their last couple of practices.
If he does play, how much he’ll be able to pick up from where he left off will be the question. He was pushing that minutes restriction, playing a little over 25 minutes in each of the last three games he appeared in. In those games he averaged 23 points on 46% shooting.
There were a couple unpleasant surprises on the latest injury report, but neither seem to be serious. Tyrese Maxey was bothered by his right shoulder all day after blocking a shot in the first quarter against the Miami Heat. He’s listed with shoulder sprain, but is probable.
Paul George is listed with a right ankle sprain, but he is listed as probable as well. After the loss to the Heat, Nick Nurse said that George’s own minutes restriction is what stopped him from appearing in the fourth quarter, not any sort of issue with the ankle.
VJ Edgecombe will miss his second straight game with calf tightness. Again, it’s good to see the Sixers remain cautious with him seeing what playing on calf injuries can do. Adem Bona and Kelly Oubre Jr. also remain out as they recover from ankle and knee sprains, respectively.
