76ers vs. Magic: Joel Embiid’s Playing Status on Wednesday

Will Joel Embiid face the Orlando Magic on Wednesday?

On Wednesday, the Philadelphia 76ers are set to continue their road trip, concluding a two-game stint down in Florida with a matchup against the Orlando Magic.

Once again, the Sixers are going to head into the game with an absent Joel Embiid as he continues to nurse an ankle sprain. When the Sixers released their early injury report for the battle against the Magic, they wasted no time ruling Embiid out.

When the Sixers hosted the Toronto Raptors last Friday, Embiid entered the matchup without any setbacks. That changed during the first quarter after he rolled his ankle. While Embiid played through the soreness, clearly favoring his right side, the big man admitted he was unsure of his playing status on Christmas Day.

Over the weekend, the Sixers held a practice session at home before heading down South. Embiid was not a participant in the session. While Sixers head coach Nick Nurse didn’t take the opportunity to rule out Embiid as early as Saturday night, the 76ers made the official call on his status one night later.

Embiid was ruled out and didn’t travel with his team to Miami, Florida. Nick Nurse started Paul Reed in place of Embiid, having a returning Mo Bamba pick up the reserve minutes and more. 

When Embiid was initially ruled out against Miami, the Sixers noted that his status against Orlando had not yet been determined. However, he’ll miss consecutive games for just the second time this season.

Embiid first missed multiple games in a row in late November, starting with a loss against the New Orleans Pelicans. In the following game, Embiid was absent for the Sixers’ loss against the Boston Celtics. When he returned on December 6, Embiid appeared in nine straight games.

Unfortunately, the big man will miss his fifth game of the season on Wednesday.