The major concern around the Philadelphia 76ers is whether Joel Embiid is going to play against the Denver Nuggets on Friday, January 31. Till now Joel Embiid has missed 13 straight games since January 6.
Will Joel Embiid play against Denver Nuggets?
The Philadelphia 76ers will be without their star player Joel Embiid when they face the Denver Nuggets on Friday. He will miss the 13th straight game of the season so far.
He was sidelined due to a left foot sprain, but later it was confirmed that he had swelling on his left knee. The injury appears to be the main reason why Embiid would be out against the Nuggets.
The 30-year-old center has only played 13 games this season. The longest time he played was back in December when he was available for four games between 23 to 3 December, in which he averaged 26.3 points on 49.2/50.0/91/9% shooting splits.
Embiid's current absence from the team will reach number 14 on Friday as it is the longest consecutive amount of games he hasn't been a part of this season. Embiid joins a list of other players who will miss the game against Nuggets. Nine-time All-Star Paul George is listed out due to an injury to his finger on his left hand. KJ Martin (foot), Caleb Martin (hip), and Andre Drummond (toe) will also miss the game.
Despite all the injury concerns surrounding the Sixers, they are in red-hot form with a four-game winning streak. But, the Nuggets see themselves on the receiving end as they have lost the last three games.
Joel Embiid's All-Star worthy performance this season
In the 13 games that Joel Embiid has played this season, he has shown what made him the MVP in 2023, averaging 24.4 points, 7.9 boards, 3.8 assists and 1.0 blocks. During this, he recorded a season-high 37 points game against the Portland Trail Blazers on December 30. However, this is not the only 30-point game that Embiid has been a part of.
He scored 35 points against the Memphis Grizzlies on November 20. After that, he missed seven games on the trot. He returned to action back on December 8 as he registered 31 points and 12 rebound double-double. Against Charlotte Hornets on December 20, Embiid recorded 34 points. After that on December 28 against the Utah Jazz, Embiid breached the 30-point mark once again after scoring 32.