Is Joel Embiid Playing Tonight? (Injury Update, Betting Impact for Hawks vs. 76ers)

The Philadelphia 76ers will be without star center Joel Embiid on Thursday night against the Atlanta Hawks.

Embiid reportedly is dealing with soreness in his right shin that he experienced during the All-Star break. This season, Embiid has missed time while managing ankle and knee injuries, appearing in 31 of Philadelphia's 54 games.

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid reported soreness in his right shin while participating in a right knee injury management program during the All-Star break, team says. He’ll be OUT tomorrow night versus the Hawks and re-evaluated ahead of Philly’s back-to-back this weekend. pic.twitter.com/xiV0PwxmpW
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) February 18, 2026

The 76ers have struggled a bit when the former league MVP is out of the lineup, going 11-12 straight up in the 23 games that he's missed. Embiid's injury has caused a pretty significant shift in the betting odds for this game, as the 76ers are barely favored at home.

After opening as 4.5-point favorites against the Hawks in the odds at DraftKings Sportsbook, the Sixers are now 1.5-point favorites in this game. They are +100 to cover the spread and just -120 to win the game outright against an Atlanta team that is under .500 this season but 16-15 on the road.

Embiid missed three of the Sixers' last five games before the All-Star break, including their final two matchups against Portland and New York. Philly lost both of those games, but it remains the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Since the star center has not played in both ends of a back-to-back this season, it's expected that he'll miss at least one of the team's games on Saturday and Sunday (against New Orleans and Minnesota) as well.

This season, Embiid is averaging 26.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game while shooting 49.4 percent from the field and 32.0 percent from beyond the arc. The star big man has played much better since Jan. 1, averaging 29.9 points while shooting 53.5 percent from the field in 17 games.

With Embiid out, Philly will rely more on Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe to carry the offense on Thursday night.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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