Joel Embiid, James Harden On Pace to Play vs. Cavs Wednesday

Joel Embiid, James Harden and a couple of other Sixers are expected to make their preseason debut on Wednesday night.

After taking a night off earlier this week, Joel Embiid, James Harden, and PJ Tucker are on pace to play in Monday night's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, according to the Philadelphia 76ers' temporary head coach, Dave Joerger. 

When the Sixers fired up their preseason on Monday night with a matchup in Brooklyn, Doc Rivers made it clear he was trending toward sitting several key players.

At that point, it was apparent the team’s two stars were on the verge of sitting out against the Brooklyn Nets. 

Joel Embiid and James Harden’s post-shootaround actions on Monday morning indicated they were unlikely to play. As the two All-Stars continued putting in work hours after their team’s shootaround session, many speculated that would be the final time they put in work for the day.

The assumptions would turn out to be correct. Hours before the Sixers and the Nets tipped off their preseasons, Doc Rivers revealed that Joel Embiid and James Harden would get the night off due to rest. However, they weren’t alone.

In addition to the two All-Stars, the 37-year-old veteran forward PJ Tucker also got the night off. As the Sixers want to preserve Tucker and ensure he’s healthy and ready for the start of the season after undergoing knee surgery over the summer, they gave him the night off after he was a full participant in a handful of training camp sessions over the past week.

Following a victory on Monday against Brooklyn, the Sixers returned to the City of Brotherly Love after spending more than a week on the road. On Wednesday, the Sixers are set to battle the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second of their four preseason matchups this offseason.

Fortunately, the team could get a first look at their new starting lineup as Embiid, Harden, Tucker, Tobias Harris, and Tyrese Maxey are expected to play.

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