76ers Downgrade Joel Embiid's Injury Report Status vs Miami Heat

Joel Embiid has been downgraded once again.

Nov 15, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) warms up before a game against the Orlando Magic at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Heading into their Monday night matchup against the Miami Heat, the Philadelphia 76ers have downgraded the playing status of Joel Embiid once again.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the star center has been downgraded to doubtful for the matchup. Per the NBA injury report, Embiid is currently dealing with an illness.

When the Sixers released their initial injury report on Sunday night, Embiid was listed as questionable for the same reason. The star center just returned to the lineup on Friday night to face the Orlando Magic. While Embiid has missed action this year due to knee injury management, his recent setback is an unrelated concern.

76ers’ Joel Embiid (illness) is listed as doubtful for tonight’s game vs. Heat in Miami.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 18, 2024

The Sixers entered the 2024-2025 NBA season, planning to have Embiid on a strict resting plan. He missed the entire preseason and the first six games of the regular season due to knee injury management. On November 6, the Sixers deemed Embiid ready to play, but he had to serve a three-game suspension first.

Last Tuesday, Embiid finally made his season debut after missing the first nine games. He took the court for 26 minutes. During that time, the star big man hit on just two of his 11 shots from the field. He finished the 12-point loss with 13 points, three rebounds, and five assists.

The 76ers hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second matchup of a back-to-back set after the Knicks game. As expected, Embiid was ruled out for the tenth time this year due to knee injury management.

On Friday, the Sixers removed Embiid from the injury report as he was cleared for action against Orlando. He checked in for 32 minutes. During that time, Embiid made five of his 15 shots from the field and hit on ten free throws to score 20 points. He nearly notched a triple-double by coming down with eight rebounds. Once again, the Sixers suffered a double-digit loss.

At this point, the Sixers are 2-10 heading into the Miami matchup. While they are hoping to get Embiid fully back on track soon, an illness seems to be derailing his early progress this week. If Embiid is ruled out, the earliest he could be back on the floor is on Wednesday, when the 76ers visit the Memphis Grizzlies.