The Philadelphia 76ers announced that star center Joel Embiid will be absent from the game against the Houston Rockets due to his left knee management.
So far, he has only played four games this season for the 3-13 76ers. Including the upcoming missed games, it will be his third game in a row after playing three consecutive games.
Paul George is also not available for selection. George hyperextended his left knee again this month. He has not played since November 20 against the Grizzlies. However, the team said that he “partially participated in practice” this week. Still, he will miss the next game on Wednesday.
This season, George has struggled by his standards when he has been on the court so far. In his first season with Philly, he is averaging only 14.9 points per game and shooting just 38.3% from the floor.
At the start of the season, Embiid mentioned that he didn’t see himself playing in both games of back-to-backs for the rest of his career. He is trying to prioritize being healthy for the playoffs. It will be his 13th missed game this season when he will be on the sidelines on Wednesday.
The 76ers didn’t have a great start to the 2024-25 season. They’ve had a turbulent five weeks in the NBA this season. However, seven of their upcoming 12 matchups are against teams that have losing records. This list includes teams like the Jazz, Trail Blazers, and Spurs.
However, it won’t be easy for the 76ers to beat all those teams without their star players like Embiid and George. Anyway, they have to make do with what they’ve got. They should start winning some matches soon.