Joel Embiid Offers Update on His Back Following Win vs. Cavaliers

In past seasons, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid struggled to stay consistently healthy. This year that hasn't been the case. Outside of a battle with COVID-19 back in early November, Embiid hasn't missed consecutive games this year.

Monday night's matchup against the Denver Nuggets marked Embiid's 55th matchup this season. As the Sixers traveled to face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday, Embiid was on pace to play in his 56th game.

However, his playing status was in jeopardy following Wednesday's shootaround session at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

After taking a hard fall on Monday night, Embiid experienced back soreness following shootaround. Therefore, the Sixers added the All-Star big man to the injury report, considering him questionable for the game.

A couple of hours before the 76ers and the Cavaliers tipped off, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers mentioned that Embiid would be a game-time decision. 

If the big man were to miss the matchup, it would mark his first absence since the January 31 matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies.

That wasn't the case, though. After going through pregame warmups, Embiid received clearance to play in Wednesday's game. Therefore, the superstar big man made his 18th straight start against the Cavs.

Embiid's back was hardly an issue for the Sixers from start to finish on Wednesday. Right out of the gate, the five-time All-Star dominated as he went 6-7 from the field and collected 13 points in the first 11 minutes of the game. 

Philly's big man wrapped up the matchup with 35 points in 34 minutes of action. He helped the Sixers secure a 118-114 victory. After the game, Embiid discussed the state of his back and made it clear that the pregame soreness was no longer an issue.

"I feel great," he said. "Obviously, the fall happened last night, but it's whatever. It's the NBA season. None of us are feeling good at this point. So you just gotta keep pushing. We got a tough schedule ahead. So it's all about getting better every single day."

Although the Sixers are likely to offer Embiid rest at some point soon, the Sixers star hasn't gotten any in months. Judging based on his postgame comments on Wednesday, it doesn't seem like Embiid intends to miss Friday's matchup against the Dallas Mavericks, either.

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