Joel Embiid's Playing Status on Sunday vs. Raptors

After being listed as questionable due to back soreness for the third-straight game, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has been cleared for action and will

After being listed as questionable due to back soreness for the third-straight game, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has been cleared for action and will play against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night.

When the Sixers hosted the Denver Nuggets on Monday night, Embiid caught a hard foul and fell on his back. While he was clearly in pain, Embiid remained in the game and finished out the game. 

Two nights later, Embiid was added to the Sixers’ injury report as he was dealing with back soreness following his hard fall on Monday. While his status on Wednesday was in question, Embiid was cleared for action after going through his pregame warmups.

A couple of nights later, the Sixers hosted the Dallas Mavericks. Once again, Embiid was questionable going into the matchup. As expected, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers described Embiid as a game-time decision as the team prepared for Dallas. To no surprise, Embiid was cleared for action and played through his back soreness once again.

“I’m okay,” Embiid said following Philly’s Friday night win over the Dallas Mavericks. “I’ve just got to keep pushing. Fourteen more games, so we’re almost there. Then we figure out the rest later. I’m fine. Just gotta keep pushing.”

Embiid’s postgame comments indicated that he might not take a rest day anytime soon, but he’s also made it clear that a rest day or two is to be expected as he wants to ensure he’s healthy and refreshed before the 2022 NBA Playoffs. 

However, he won’t take a rest night during the first game of a back-to-back. With Embiid set to play on Sunday, he’ll appear in his 20th straight game. 

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