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76ers Have Positive Update on Joel Embiid on Wednesday

Joel Embiid was back at practice for the 76ers after making his return against the Bulls.
Justin Grasso|
Dec 8, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic (9) defends against Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Dec 8, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic (9) defends against Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

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Philadelphia 76ers

Recently, the Philadelphia 76ers saw their All-Star big man Joel Embiid return to the court.

Prior to Sunday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls, Embiid was in danger of missing eight games in a row. Lately, the big man has been experiencing swelling in his knee.

Since the start of the 2024-2025 NBA season, Embiid made it clear that he would miss games due to knee injury management after getting surgery last season. The Sixers played without Embiid for the first nine games of the year.

On November 12, Embiid returned to the court for 26 minutes. When they took on the Cleveland Cavaliers the following night, the Sixers saw Embiid sit out once again.

In the three following games, Embiid averaged 33 minutes of playing time. After producing 22 points, nine rebounds, and one block per game over that stretch, knee swelling left Embiid seeing a guaranteed two-game absence.

After the November 24 matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers passed, the Sixers took it day-by-day with Embiid’s status. He went on to miss five games in a row.

Over the weekend, Embiid was upgraded to questionable against the Bulls. After feeling fine enough to play following his pregame warmup routine, Embiid checked in for 33 minutes of action.

The star center produced 31 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks. He led the Sixers in scoring as they achieved an eight-point win over the Bulls.

Just as Embiid returned, the Sixers entered a four-day break without games. The team didn’t practice for the first two days but returned on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, the team returned to practice with Embiid in the mix. According to reports, Embiid was a full participant in the session.

The Sixers will get Thursday off from games before returning to court to face the Indiana Pacers on Friday. It seems Embiid is trending in the right direction and could play in his second straight game.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia

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