Joel Embiid Questionable vs. Pistons on Thursday Night

Joel Embiid could probably use a night off. The Sixers All-Star hasn't been one-hundred percent after injuring his knee in the season opener last Wednesday. Embiid's injury isn't deemed as serious, but he's been in a lot of pain. 

Will he play against the Detroit Pistons on Thursday? The Sixers won't rule anything out as of now. According to the team's Wednesday night injury report, the All-Star center is listed as questionable right now.

That's been the trend ever since the Sixers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans to open up the year. After playing in three-quarters of the first game, Embiid was dealing with soreness in his knee. Going into the second game against the Brooklyn Nets, the Sixers had him listed as questionable.

As expected, Embiid played against Brooklyn at home. Two nights later, he appeared on the court against the Oklahoma City Thunder as well despite being questionable going into the matchup. When Tuesday's game against the New York Knicks rolled around, the trend continued. However, Embiid had his worst outing yet.

Shooting just 2-7 from the field and collecting 14 points, Embiid looked rough against a physical Knicks team. After the loss, the All-Star center made it clear he's still dealing with a lot of soreness, but he didn't want to use it as an excuse.

"It's not an excuse, but I don't think I've played like this to start the season or any stretch in my career, so it's not an excuse," said Embiid on Tuesday night. "I'm gonna keep pushing and hope for the best."

Embiid is a 50/50 shot to play on Thursday. While he could probably use the night off against a less-competitive team such as the Pistons, the big man continues to show signs of being willing to push through the pain and continue playing. He'll likely go through shootaround on Thursday morning and participate in pregame warmups at night before the Sixers decide on his final status. 

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