76ers vs. Blazers: What’s Joel Embiid’s Injury Report Status?

Is Joel Embiid on pace to play against the Blazers on Monday?

Coming off a gutsy loss against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night, the Philadelphia 76ers are searching for a way to get back in the winner’s column on Monday against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Whether the Sixers will be down a few key starters or not remains unclear at this time. All eyes have been on the Sixers’ star center Joel Embiid as of late.

During the Sixers’ Thursday night loss against the Indiana Pacers last week, Embiid had a bit of an injury scare as he was seen grabbing at his knee after an awkward landing. Fortunately, the big man didn’t leave the game as a result of tweaking his knee, but there was some cause for concern moving forward.

When the Sixers released their initial injury report for the matchup against the Denver Nuggets, Embiid was not listed. However, the Sixers shocked the basketball world when they decided to scratch Embiid less than an hour before the game.

According to the Sixers’ injury report, Embiid was dealing with knee soreness. After missing Saturday’s game in Denver, the Sixers listed Embiid as questionable for Monday’s game against the Blazers on the road. He’ll likely be viewed as a game-time decision against Portland.

Following Saturday’s matchup against the Nuggets, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse noted that the team’s medical staff did not like how Embiid was moving during his pregame warmups. After giving it some thought, they decided to shut him down and downgrade him to out before facing the defending champs. 

With that absence, Embiid picked up his 11th of the year. He has missed consecutive games on three other occasions this season. Monday’s game could be the fourth time if the star center can’t get clearance against Portland.