Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid is dealing with swelling in his left knee and will miss his second straight game on Sunday, the team announced.
The Sixers released a statement about Embiid’s condition at halftime of their Friday NBA Cup game against the Brooklyn Nets, saying the decision to keep Embiid out was made with the team’s medical staff. He was ruled out before the game due to “left knee injury maintenance.” The team will face the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.
“Joel Embiid is managing swelling in his left knee,” the statement said. “In consultation with the team’s medical staff, Embiid missed tonight’s game and will also miss Sunday’s game. He is receiving treatments, and further updates on his status will be provided early next week.”
Embiid was originally listed as questionable for the game and was considered a game-time decision by coach Nick Nurse during the pregame press conference. However, Embiid did not take part in warmups and was officially ruled out 30 minutes before the game began.
“It’s kind of something that we knew that we were going to be dealing with going into the season,” Nurse said after the 113-98 win over the Nets. “They do what they can do to remove that swelling, but it just didn’t feel good enough to go.”
Nurse added that the team knew soon after the pregame press conference that Embiid wouldn’t be able to play. He was examined again during the game, and it was decided that Embiid would need treatment over the weekend.
Embiid was not in the locker room after the game on Friday.
Embiid played on Wednesday in Memphis, scoring 35 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in a 117-111 loss to the Grizzlies. At times during that game, he appeared to limp, possibly because of the knee injury, but he stayed in the game as the Sixers tried to make a comeback in the fourth quarter.
Embiid and Paul George were both sidelined on Friday. George has a left knee bone bruise and will be out until at least next week. The third member of the Sixers’ “Big Three,” guard Tyrese Maxey, returned from a hamstring injury in the Memphis game after missing two weeks. Embiid, Maxey, and George have only played together in one game this season.
Embiid missed the first 10 games of the season due to knee management and a suspension. He has been out for 11 of the team’s 15 games so far.
Last season, Embiid was limited to just 39 games, mainly due to knee surgery after tearing the meniscus in his left knee on January 30 against Golden State.
The 30-year-old Embiid, who helped the U.S. team win a gold medal at the Paris Olympics, signed a $193 million contract before training camp and did not play in any preseason games.
