HOUSTON — Joel Embiid will miss the 76ers’ Thursday night game against the Rockets with an illness, according to the NBA’s afternoon injury report.
Embiid’s absence is a major blow for a Sixers team likely needing a win in Houston to avoid the Play-in Tournament. They entered Thursday with a 43-36 record and in eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings with three games remaining. The Sixers are a half-game behind the seventh-place Orlando Magic (44-36), one game back of the sixth-place Toronto Raptors (44-35), and a half-game ahead of the ninth-place Charlotte Hornets (43-37).
A league source told The Inquirer that Embiid, who also briefly left Monday’s loss at the San Antonio Spurs with a twisted ankle, reported feeling ill Thursday morning and will be checked out by a doctor in Houston. He was not listed on Wednesday evening’s injury report and was present at the Sixers’ practice at the Toyota Center earlier that day. The Sixers did not hold a shootaround Thursday morning.
The unexpected absence comes about one week after Embiid publicly criticized the organization for ruling him out of an April 1 win at the Washington Wizards with an illness, after he missed the team’s morning film session. Embiid said he was “[ticked] off” that he found out online that he would not be playing, and that any further questions should be directed at president of basketball operations Daryl Morey.
Embiid was not expected to play in both games of the Sixers’ upcoming back-to-back, which includes Friday’s matchup at the Indiana Pacers. But it would make far more sense for Embiid to miss the game against the Pacers, who have the NBA’s second-worst record (18-61) and are actively “tanking” in the season’s final week.
This is the latest injury-affected season for Embiid, who returned March 25 from an oblique strain that kept him sidelined for about a month. The former NBA Most Valuable Player also has dealt with a shin stress reaction and issues with both knees this season. He has averaged 26.9 points on 48.9% shooting, 7.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.2 blocks in 38 games this season.
Without Embiid, Andre Drummond and Adem Bona are the contenders to start at center. Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker also are small-ball options at the position.
