Joel Embiid Probable Play in Season Finale vs. Magic on Sunday

When the Philadelphia 76ers clinched the first seed in the Eastern Conference on Friday night by defeating the Orlando Magic, it became unclear who would play on Sunday night in the 2020-2021 NBA regular-season finale.

At this point, the Sixers have nothing left to play for. They clinched a berth in the postseason last month and can't get any better than the first seed. 

One would think all key players who will have a spot in the team's postseason rotation will sit out on Sunday to avoid further fatigue or any physical setbacks, but it seems a few notable players could make an appearance on Sunday.

Sixers star Joel Embiid is the first player to come to mind when thinking about whether starters should play or not. Considering Embiid is clearly Philly's most valuable player, they need him to be one-hundred percent going into the playoffs.

Risking Embiid's health by playing him in a meaningless matchup on Sunday might not be the best idea, but it seems the big man is on pace to play. According to the Sixers' Saturday night injury report, Embiid is probable against the Magic.

Over the last few games, Embiid has been listed as questionable due to a non-COVID illness. Although he missed Tuesday's matchup in Indiana, the big man returned for the two games against the Miami Heat and the Orlando Magic.

Along with Embiid, the Sixers also have Furkan Korkmaz and Shake Milton listed as probable for Sunday's game. Korkmaz, who sprained his ankle weeks back, finally made his return to the floor against the Heat. 

He's struggled to make a notable impact as he's still getting back into playing shape after missing a handful of games. Therefore, Korkmaz will likely appear in Sunday's final matchup. 

As for Milton, he's been dealing with knee soreness this week. After becoming a late-scratch on Tuesday against the Pacers, Milton returned to the court on Thursday and played in Friday's game. With several starters questionable for Sunday's game, there's a good chance Milton could find himself picking up some notable minutes against Orlando. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.