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Philadelphia 76ers’ Update on Joel Embiid Before Absence vs Suns

What's the latest on Joel Embiid's recent setback?

Justin Grasso

Jan 4, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) celebrates after basket during the second half against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Jan 4, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) celebrates after basket during the second half against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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Monday night marked another absence for Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid. As the Sixers prepared for the matchup with the Phoenix Suns, the team kept up with the trend of listing Joel Embiid as questionable for the action.

Lately, Embiid has been on the court for the 76ers if he hasn’t been ruled out right out of the gate. The trend was broken on Monday. Right as Nick Nurse was set to address reporters hours before Monday’s game tipped off, the Sixers ruled out Embiid for the night.

Considering Embiid has missed action due to four different reasons throughout the year, the reason behind his absence against the Suns created some curiosity. However, Nick Nurse confirmed that the latest setback is the reason why Embiid did not get the nod to play on Monday.

“It’s day-to-day. He hurt [his foot] a couple of games ago, and it’s been trying to get him back in there, but not good enough to go today, but it’s nothing major,” the head coach told reporters/

On Christmas Day, Joel Embiid suffered a sprained foot as he prepared for the matchup against the Boston Celtics. The star center still took on the Celtics with a 31-minute shift. He played in the following two games before sitting out against the Sacramento Kings on January 1.

Leading up to Monday’s action, Embiid played in the last two games against the Golden State Warriors and the Brooklyn Nets. He notched 28 points in each of the two games. He registered double-doubles in both matchups.

Unfortunately, Embiid’s absence on Monday couldn’t be overcome. The Sixers dropped another outing without their star big man, losing to the Suns 109-99.

The Sixers return to the court on Wednesday to host the Washington Wizards. Embiid’s status for that game is currently unclear.

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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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