Joel Embiid’s Injury Status for Philadelphia 76ers vs Cavaliers

Joel Embiid will get the night off for Philadelphia 76ers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday.

Dec 20, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) reacts against the Charlotte Hornets in the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

On Friday night, Joel Embiid made his way back into the Philadelphia 76ers’ lineup. He returned to the team just one week after getting diagnosed with a sinus fracture.

At the start of the week, the Sixers’ initial recovery timeline for Embiid suggested he could miss three matchups since the injury, including Saturday’s action against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

That wasn’t the case for Friday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets. Everything will go as expected for Saturday’s outing against the Cavs, though.

According to the NBA’s official injury report, Embiid is out for Saturday’s game. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse noted that was likely going to be the case after the Sixers defeated the Hornets.

Sixers injury report for tonight’s game @ Cleveland:

Joel Embiid — rest — OUT

Paul George — left knee impingement — QUESTIONABLE

Nick Nurse said postgame last night that the plan was for George to play and Embiid to sit. George said he felt good and expected to play.

— Adam Aaronson (@SixersAdam) December 21, 2024

All season long, Embiid has been on a strict injury management plan after getting surgery on his knee last season. Part of the plan was sitting out on the second night of back-to-backs. Embiid will stick to that plan this weekend. The only difference is his status on the report is out due to “rest” and not “knee injury management.”

Earlier this season, Embiid missed the first nine games of action. He debuted on November 12 against the New York Knicks before getting another night off. After appearing in three-straight games on the road, Embiid battled with soreness and swelling in his knee.

A dominant night from @JoelEmbiid:

💪 34 PTS
💪 9 AST
💪 2 BLK
💪 2 STL

The @sixers have won 4 of their last 5 games 👀 pic.twitter.com/iJdgzZlcpg

— NBA TV (@NBATV) December 21, 2024

The All-Star center ended up missing seven games in a row. He returned to face the Chicago Bulls on December 8. Embiid looked great in the matchup, racking up a 31-point double-double. His follow-up game didn’t go as planned.

Against the Indiana Pacers, Embiid checked out after 17 minutes. He was ruled out for the injury that became a sinus fracture. Embiid missed the following game against Charlotte before returning on Friday night. In 31 minutes of action, Embiid produced 34 points, five rebounds, and nine assists.

After Saturday’s game, the Sixers will return to the court to take on the San Antonio Spurs. Embiid should have a shot at returning by then.