Al Horford Ruled Out Against the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday

The Philadelphia 76ers' already shorthanded lineup just thinned out a little more on Thursday. As of late, the Sixers have been playing without their star center, Joel Embiid. Since the big man dislocated his finger during a block attempt earlier this month, he ended up tearing a ligament, which forced Embiid to get it surgically repaired.

Therefore, the Sixers were forced to move Al Horford over to the center position. That switch hasn't been too bad for the Sixers, as Horford is quite comfortable at the five position. However, it was evident that once Embiid returned, Horford was guaranteed to go right back to his initial position at power forward.

Well, Embiid returned from his injury this past Tuesday night and the Sixers were getting another opportunity to see these two try to work together on the floor at the same time. While it looked a little clunky, there's hope that Embiid and Horford get better playing on the same court together with time. Unfortunately, the duo will miss more action together on Thursday.

Embiid is healthy and available to play. Al Horford, on the other hand, is not. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey, Horford is ruled out on Thursday night. After Tuesday's matchup with Golden State, Horford complained that his right knee was sore. Therefore, the Sixers had the veteran big man listed as questionable.

Considering the strength of their opponent on Thursday, it looks like the Sixers are going with the safe route by sitting Horford. Now, they will play without two starters on Thursday as Horford and Josh Richardson are out. The starting lineup is unclear, but it seems likely Shake Milton and Matisse Thybulle get the nod to join the starting lineup against Atlanta.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_