76ers: Joel Embiid’s Playing Status Unclear vs. Pacers

Joel Embiid pops up on the 76ers' injury report ahead of their Pacers matchup.

When the Philadelphia 76ers released their injury report on Tuesday night, not a single player was listed with an injury. However, the trend of adding Joel Embiid to the report on the morning of the matchup continued for the second-straight game.

On Monday, as the Sixers prepared for their matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans, Embiid was placed on the injury report due to back soreness. Before the game, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers stated that Embiid had mentioned he was dealing with soreness during last Saturday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

After Monday’s victory over New Orleans, Embiid mentioned his back was feeling “not good” and has been “getting tight lately.” 

It seems Embiid’s back is no longer an issue at the moment, as he was originally left off the Sixers’ injury report for their Wednesday night matchup against the Indiana Pacers. While the Sixers put the big man on the report following shootaround on Wednesday morning, it’s not a result of his back bothering him. Instead, it’s his left foot.

As of noon, Embiid is questionable for the matchup against the Pacers due to foot soreness. During the second half of Monday’s game, there was a moment Embiid was down on the floor for longer than one would desire. He was helped up and able to gingerly walk back to the bench with some assistance.

After the game, Sixers star James Harden addressed the moment, poking a little fun at the situation.

“It was one of those Paul Pierce moments,” said Harden. “You know what I mean? Where he tried to…. You never know what you’re going to get out Joel. I think the rest of it, he played well. He’s been playing extremely well and he got us going.”

Embiid was in good spirits after the matchup, despite dealing with back and foot soreness. While he’s questionable to play in what could be his 17th straight game, recent history could indicate that barring any major setbacks during pregame warmups, Embiid could have a good chance of playing on Wednesday. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.