76ers: Joel Embiid’s Playing Status vs. Suns

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Going into their matchup against the Phoenix Suns, the Philadelphia 76ers are dealing with quite a few injuries. Ahead of their Friday night matchup against the Golden State Warriors, several players popped up on the injury report, including the two starters, Joel Embiid, and James Harden.
Lately, Harden's been battling Achilles soreness, which started during Monday's loss against the Chicago Bulls. For the last two games, Harden's been sidelined. The trend will continue on Saturday as Harden was ruled out against the Suns a couple of hours before tip-off.
Embiid, who missed the second half of Wednesday’s game on the road against the Chicago Bulls, has been dealing with calf tightness. Although he was questionable against the Warriors on Friday, the big man got the nod to play.
Joining Embiid and Harden on the injury report ahead of Saturday’s game are Danuel House Jr. and Jalen McDaniels. Although House wasn’t on the injury report in the hours leading up to Friday’s game, he was a late scratch as he was bothered by shoulder soreness.
As for McDaniels, he’s been dealing with a hip contusion, which has caused him to miss four of the last six games. While he managed to play in two matchups recently, the soreness from the contusion caused McDaniels to feel limited on the court.
So, who's in and who's out for the Sixers?
Once again, Joel Embiid is cleared for action on Saturday night. After the big man approached Saturday's matchup as a game-time decision, it seems Embiid's healthy enough to avoid taking any time off right now.
The veteran wing Jalen McDaniels has been cleared as well. After missing the last two games, McDaniels seems to be trending in the right direction.
Meanwhile, Danuel House will join James Harden on the bench Saturday night. With House having lingering shoulder soreness, he'll continue to take time off.
The Sixers and the Suns are set to tip-off at 10 PM ET.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
MORE SIXERS NEWS
Big Man’s Night Spoiled: Joel Embiid had another MVP-worthy performance on the road Friday night against the Golden State Warriors. Although he attempted to carry the Sixers to an impressive victory, Golden State’s big fourth quarter prevented Philly from taking on their second-straight win on their current road trip. READ MORE
Embiid’s Health: After missing the entire second half of Wednesday’s game, and entering Friday’s matchup as questionable against the Warriors, Joel Embiid played a full shift with calf tightness. After an impressive game, how did Embiid feel physically? READ MORE
House Went Missing: The Sixers had a couple of players on their injury report ahead of Friday’s game, but none of them were originally Danuel House Jr. As tip-off approached, the Sixers made House a late scratch. What’s the latest on the veteran? READ MORE
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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