Washington Wizards Add Key Player to Injury Report vs. 76ers
UPDATE: The Washington Wizards ruled Daniel Gafford OUT on Monday
Going into the third battle against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night, the Washington Wizards plan to possibly roll without their starting big man, Daniel Gafford.
On Sunday night, the Wizards added Gafford to the injury report. The veteran center is currently considered questionable as he deals with a right hip contusion.
Throughout the season, Gafford has been mostly available for Washington. Outside of missing two games in late October, Gafford has started the previous 17 games for Washington.
In the Wizards’ previous matchup against the Brooklyn Nets, Gafford appeared on the court for just under 22 minutes. During that time, he scored only three points while coming down with two rebounds and blocking two shots. The Wizards went on to lose against the Nets by 27 points.
Sitting in second-to-last place in the Eastern Conference, the Wizards are struggling to climb out of their slump. Going into their Monday night battle against the 76ers, Washington has lost four of their last five games.
While Gafford’s presence doesn’t guarantee the Wizards’ odds of breaking the trend will improve, his absence surely won’t do them any favors, especially if Joel Embiid is playing.
In his first matchup against Embiid and the Sixers, Gafford scored 12 points while collecting seven rebounds and blocking five shots. He was critical to Washington’s early success in that outing, but Embiid’s scoring masterclass in the second half helped the Sixers cruise past the Wizards with an 18-point victory.
Last Wednesday, Embiid found the same success while Gafford struggled to overcome an in-game setback and struggles in the fouling department. With 23 minutes to show for, Gafford scored 18 points while grabbing six rebounds. Unfortunately, his night was cut short, as he fouled out.
Embiid went on to score a season-high 50 points. While the Wizards put up a much better fight, they came up short with a five-point loss.
Both, Gafford and Embiid are questionable to play on Monday. The Sixers are set to host the Wizards at 7 PM ET.
