Joel Embiid Injury Update, Latest on 76ers Stars' Timeline Ahead of All-Star Break
Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid will not return to the court until after the All-Star break as he manages a right knee injury.
ESPN's Tim Bontemps reported Embiid will miss Wednesday's game against the New York Knicks after also sitting out Monday's loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. Bontemps noted "the soreness has decreased" since he felt it after Saturday's win over the Phoenix Suns.
Head coach Nick Nurse said the knee is "improving" and that time off for the All-Star break will help:
The 76ers are already playing without Paul George, who was suspended for 25 games after violating the league's anti-drug policy, so any prolonged absence for Embiid would be problematic.
Given that reality, it makes sense the team would be cautious with Embiid in the short term and use the All-Star break as an extended chance for him to rest. George is not eligible to come back until Philadelphia's March 25 game against the Chicago Bulls.
Philadelphia lost by 17 to the Trail Blazers without the two headliners. Embiid's absence was particularly felt on the defensive side as Portland scored 135 points.
The Eastern Conference team relied on Andre Drummond, Trendon Watford and Adem Bona in the frontcourt in that one and likely will again during Wednesday's game against the Knicks.
Injuries are always a story with Embiid, who played 39 games in 2023-24 and 19 games in 2024-25. He has appeared in 31 games this season and is averaging 26.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.1 blocks while shooting 49.4 percent from the field and 32.0 percent from deep.
He is still one of the best big men in the league when healthy, but the lack of consistent durability has undercut the 76ers in recent years.
Their first game after the All-Star break is Feb. 19 against the Atlanta Hawks.
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