76ers vs. Wizards: Joel Embiid's Playing Status for Monday

Will Joel Embiid face the Wizards on Monday?

Justin Grasso | Oct 31, 2022

76ers vs. Wizards: Joel Embiid's Playing Status for Monday /

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The Philadelphia 76ers will be shorthanded for the second time in three games on Monday night as their star center Joel Embiid will miss the matchup against the Washington Wizards due to an illness, according to Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia. According to the Sixers’ injury report, Embiid’s illness is non-COVID-related.

Last week, when the Sixers fired up their road trip, beginning with a two-game stand in Toronto against the Raptors, Embiid played in the Wednesday night matchup, which resulted in a loss. Two nights later, as the Sixers prepared for their rematch against the Raptors, Embiid was added to the injury report.

Per the Sixers, Embiid was questionable due to knee injury management. When Doc Rivers was asked about the star center before tip-off, he revealed that Embiid’s knee was sore and it was nothing to be concerned about. Although Rivers was optimistic about Embiid’s status, the big man was held out of Friday’s matchup.

When Saturday’s game against the Chicago Bulls rolled around, Embiid was removed from the injury report. Therefore, he was cleared for action against the Bulls. The All-Star checked into the matchup for 31 minutes. After the game, Embiid admitted that he’s been in an uphill battle getting back to being one hundred percent.

“I was struggling,” said Embiid. “I’m getting back to myself slowly. I’m just glad we’re able to win and get a big win in Toronto and tonight. So, we got to go on a run right here. We started off bad, so we got to make up for it.”

This week, Embiid is back on the Sixers’ injury report, but for different reasons. According to the 76ers, Embiid’s questionable status for Monday was a result of a non-COVID illness. While he isn’t expected to be out long-term, the big man will get the night off on Monday with hopes of returning to the floor on Wednesday to face the Washington Wizards once again.

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

Published Oct 31, 2022

JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA