76ers' Joel Embiid Out for Christmas Day Game vs. Heat With Sprained Ankle Injury
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid will miss his team's Christmas Day matchup against the Miami Heat with a sprained right ankle, per the official NBA injury report.
Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic as well as ESPN's Tim Bontemps offered more information:
No player in the NBA is hotter right now than Embiid, who has averaged 40.2 points on 60.6 percent shooting and 12.6 rebounds in his last nine games. Philadelphia has gone 8-1 in that span to improve to 20-8.
Embiid has only missed three games this season. He sat the 76ers' Nov. 22 game against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to left hip soreness. He also sat a Nov. 29 matchup at the New Orleans Pelicans and a Dec. 1 game at the Boston Celtics with an illness. Philadelphia lost all three matchups.
Without Embiid, the 76ers should turn to Paul Reed at the 5.
Reed, who signed a three-year, $23 million offer sheet last offseason to remain in Philadelphia, has posted 5.0 points on 57.7 percent shooting and 4.4 rebounds in 13.7 minutes per game.
He notably replaced Embiid in the starting lineup during last year's playoffs when the starter suffered a sprained right knee. Reed averaged 10.0 points on 57.1 percent shooting and 14.0 rebounds in 34.6 minutes per game in two starts.
Embiid's next chance to return will be Wednesday at the Orlando Magic.
