76ers vs. Jazz: Joel Embiid’s Playing Status on Sunday

Will Joel Embiid play in Sunday's game against the Jazz?

Joel Embiid’s had a tough time staying healthy to begin the 2022-2023 NBA season. After missing his first game a couple of weeks ago due to a sore knee, Embiid returned to the floor the following night.

However, after returning for one game, Embiid was back off the floor as he was dealing with a non-COVID illness, which was revealed to be the flu. Embiid’s absence due to illness lasted three games. The big man returned to action in the matchup against the Phoenix Suns earlier this week.

Over the last few games, Embiid has averaged 36 minutes per game. On Saturday night, in the rematch against the Atlanta Hawks, Embiid played a season-high 40 minutes. Considering it was the first night of a back-to-back, many speculated beforehand that Embiid could miss Sunday’s game against the Utah Jazz.

When Embiid was spotted limping and grabbing at his shoulder throughout the matchup against the Hawks on Saturday, it added more uncertainty about his playing status for the second night of the back-to-back.

After the win over the Hawks, Embiid mentioned he planned to play on Sunday but sounded uncertain due to his recent in-game setback.

“I plan on playing, but I’m going to see how it reacts tomorrow,” said Embiid. “It’s pretty sore, but we’ll see.”

According to the Sixers’ afternoon injury report, Embiid is available for Sunday’s game. While that indicates he’s on pace to play for the Jazz matchup, his playing status is something to monitor, as the big man still has to take the floor for pregame warmups to see how his ankle feels after dealing with soreness on Saturday. 

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