76ers Could Be Without Al Horford vs. Brooklyn Nets Monday

Update: The Philadelphia 76ers will allow Al Horford to play against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday.

The Philadelphia 76ers are heading into a tricky situation on Monday. As they are still in New York, set to take on the Brooklyn Nets on Monday afternoon, the Sixers could potentially be short-handed once again.

By now, we're already well-aware of the fact that the Sixers will be without their superstar center, Joel Embiid. As the big man dislocated his finger, which led to a torn ligament diagnosis a couple of weeks back, Embiid had to undergo surgery on his hand.

At this point, Embiid is making good progress as he works on getting back, but there's zero chance he takes the court on Monday as he's already ruled out. That has been the theme over the last few games, and will probably continue for at least another week or so.

As of late, Embiid has been replaced by Al Horford in the starting lineup. Considering Horford has tons of experience at the center position, it made sense for Philly to shift him over to Embiid's spot as the All-Star heals from his hand injury.

A Joel Embiid-less lineup is far from ideal for the Sixers. Having a lineup without Embiid and Al Horford, though, could really get ugly. And at this point, the Sixers could be heading down that road on Monday.

During Saturday night's game against the New York Knicks, Al Horford took a spill and ended up experiencing some pain in his hand. Though the veteran did remain in the game, his status for Monday's matchup remains unclear.

"We'll see where we're at tomorrow," Horford said on Saturday night, following the win over the Knicks. "It's pretty sore right now. . . It's definitely uncomfortable. In this game, you always play through injuries and things like that. I just wanted to make sure that I did what I could. We'll see where I'm at tomorrow, and hopefully good to go for Monday."

As of Monday morning, there still hasn't been any update for Horford's game status. The Sixers will tip off with the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center at 3:00 pm EST.

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