Sixers' Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid Questionable vs. Pistons on Saturday

The Philadelphia 76ers could be missing a few key players on Saturday night as they host the Detroit Pistons. On Friday night, the Sixers welcomed the New Orleans Pelicans to the Wells Fargo Center for the first time this season and engaged in a shockingly close matchup.

Although the Sixers came out on top with the win, the matchup didn't go how the Sixers imagined. Considering the Pelicans had several key players ruled out, many assumed it would be an "old school load management" situation for the Sixers where the key members of the rotation only check-in for three quarters.

That's not the way the game played out. Each member of the Sixers' starting lineup checked in for over 30 minutes. While the 76ers picked up their seventh-straight win, the team now has a decision to make on some of their players' statuses for the quick turnaround game on Saturday night.

As expected, 76ers center Joel Embiid is questionable against the Pistons due to left knee injury recovery. Although Embiid's knee has been feeling a lot better lately, and he's no longer sporting a brace, the Sixers still want to take it easy with the big man as getting to the playoffs healthy is more important than anything. 

Embiid was questionable on Friday night but ended up playing after being viewed as a game-time decision. As for Ben Simmons, he's listed on the Sixers' injury report because he's dealing with back tightness. 

Lately, Simmons has been quite healthy after missing four straight games due to an illness, but he could get the night off on Saturday as the Sixers wouldn't want to force their other All-Star into the mix if he's not totally comfortable with playing on Saturday. 

Lastly, the Sixers also added Seth Curry to the injury report as well. While Curry hasn't suffered any setbacks recently, he's another starter that's dealt with several nagging injuries throughout the year. As he's been finding his groove lately, the Sixers don't want to press their luck and are trying to ensure Curry is healthy and ready to go when the postseason finally arrives.

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