Following his team’s 36-point loss Friday to the Knicks, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse was asked whether he expected Joel Embiid to play the next night.
“Yes,” Nurse said.
That did not come to be. The Sixers ruled Embiid out Saturday night for their matchup vs. the Jazz because of left knee swelling about 30 minutes before tip-off. He was a late addition to their injury report; Nurse said pregame that Embiid had woken up with mild swelling.
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Embiid played until the 4:41 mark of the fourth quarter against the Knicks, subbing out shortly after he extended his streak of 30-point, 10-rebound performances to 15 games (and well after the game had reached an embarrassing stage for the Sixers).
“I think I should be fine,” Embiid said postgame. “I think I twisted it a little bit, but I think I’ll be fine.”
Embiid missed four straight games in late December with a right ankle sprain. Over his 27 appearances, he’s averaged 34.6 points, 11.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists. The Sixers have gone 21-6 when he’s played.
In addition to Embiid, the Sixers ruled out Tobias Harris (left ankle soreness), De’Anthony Melton (lumbar spine soreness), Robert Covington (illness) and Furkan Korkmaz (illness).
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For the first time, the Sixers used a starting lineup of Tyrese Maxey, Kelly Oubre Jr., Nicolas Batum, Marcus Morris Sr. and Paul Reed.
Nurse said that Harris’ injury isn’t a sprain, but he “jammed” his ankle Friday and there’s no definitive timetable for his return yet.
He expected Melton would return for the Sixers’ next game, which is Wednesday night against the Hawks.