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Joel Embiid's Playing Status for 76ers-Rockets on Wednesday

Will Joel Embiid play on Wednesday against the Rockets?

Justin Grasso

Feb 13, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) shoots over Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) during the third quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Feb 13, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) shoots over Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) during the third quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
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After a two-day break, the Philadelphia 76ers are back on the court to face the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night at the Wells Fargo Center.

For Philly, the game will mark the third-straight matchup they are going to be without the seven-time All-Star center, Joel Embiid. The team announced on Tuesday afternoon that Embiid continues to manage the knee injury he suffered a season ago.

When the Sixers held a practice session on Tuesday morning, Embiid was not considered to be a participant. The last time he stepped on the court for game action was one week ago, when the Sixers went toe-to-toe with the Memphis Grizzlies.

In that matchup, Embiid was finally looking like the MVP version of himself. Playing for 35 minutes, the veteran center made 48 percent of his shots from the field and went 14-14 from the free-throw line to produce 35 points. He had a double-double with 11 rebounds on the stat sheet.

In the following days after the six-point loss against Memphis, Embiid experienced swelling in his knee. He went from being available for the Brooklyn Nets matchup to getting downgraded after missing a shootaround session on the morning of the matchup.

An evaluation last Friday night led the Sixers to decide to hold out Embiid for the next two games at minimum. Without the big man, the Sixers snapped a five-game losing streak by collecting a 15-point win over the Nets.

On Sunday, the Sixers faced the Los Angeles Clippers for the second and final time this season. Without Embiid, the Sixers came up way short, losing by 26 points.

The Sixers don’t seem to be worried about Embiid’s long-term availability, but with another absence on Wednesday against Houston, he will miss his 13th game in 17 matchups.

Philly and Houston will tip-off at 7 PM ET on Wednesday.

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Justin Grasso
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

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