76ers News: Nick Nurse’s Latest on Injured Joel Embiid

Could Joel Embiid return to the court after the road trip?

Lately, the Philadelphia 76ers have been competing without their star center, Joel Embiid.

After the Sixers collected a ten-point win against the Toronto Raptors last Friday, all of the attention was on Joel Embiid, who injured his ankle during his 31-point, ten-rebound performance.

In the first quarter, Embiid twisted his ankle, which affected his performance throughout the night. Following the game, Embiid mentioned he would be okay, but in the short term, his playing status was in question.

When the Sixers paid a visit to the Miami Heat on Christmas Day, Embiid failed to take the trip to South Beach and was ruled out for the matchup. At the time, the Sixers wouldn’t rule out the possibility of having Embiid join them on their four-game road trip after missing the first outing.

Wednesday’s game against the Orlando Magic was another night Embiid missed. For the second time this season, the big man missed consecutive matchups. Then, when the Sixers paid a visit to the Houston Rockets one week after he went down with his injury, Embiid was ruled out for a third straight game. 

This recent stretch of absences has been Embiid’s longest inactive stretch of the year, and it extended on Saturday, as expected.

Before the Sixers tipped off against the Rockets on Friday, head coach Nick Nurse addressed reporters, offering details on Embiid’s current status. While the big man was on pace to miss his fourth game in a row, Nurse wasn’t jumping the gun on a potential fifth-straight absence.

Noting that Embiid is “on the court again,” Nurse made it clear that Embiid’s working while experiencing some soreness. While he wasn’t cleared to join the team at all during the four-game trip, the head coach was optimistic about Embiid’s return after the new year.

“Very hopeful that he’ll be ready for the next one,” Nurse told reporters, per The Philadelphia Inquirer. “Barring anything happening between now and then, he’ll be cleared to play.”

After Saturday’s battle in Chicago, the Sixers will re-visit their matchup with the Bulls at home on January 2. If all goes right for Embiid, the big man should be back on the court for the first time in over a week.