Joel Embiid Unsure About Playing Status vs. Timberwolves

Following an overtime loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night, the Philadelphia 76ers will quickly bounce back with a matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday.

Will Joel Embiid be in the mix for the second straight outing? The big man expressed uncertainty following Tuesday’s game.

“I’m not sure,” Embiid said regarding his playing status in Minnesota. “We’re going to figure out what happens, so I’ll just listen to them. I’ve been beat up a little bit, so we’ll see with them and then go from there.”

Lately, Embiid’s name has popped up on the Sixers’ injury report. Heading into last Tuesday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers, Embiid was viewed as a game-time decision, questionable with hip soreness. After going through his pregame warmups, Embiid was deemed healthy and ready to roll.

The following night, the Sixers hosted the Boston Celtics. Once again, Embiid was a game-time decision before eventually getting cleared for action. Friday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks made it three straight games where Embiid was questionable going into the matchup. Yet, he still didn’t miss a game.

Sunday’s matchup in Brooklyn was the first time in three games Embiid was left off the injury report. The trend continued on Tuesday night as the Sixers hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers. A normal night for Embiid might not have left question marks on his status for Wednesday’s outing. However, a 41-minute shift could leave the 76ers cautious.

“We certainly have to look at that once we get on the plane,” Nick Nurse said after the game. “Obviously, heavy heavy minutes for a lot of guys.”

In previous seasons, a back-to-back might’ve resulted in an automatic night off for Embiid, but he’s been open to playing both matchups in recent times as long as health and fatigue didn’t prevent it. Considering hip soreness has been an issue in the past week, it leaves a little concern.

As much as the Sixers want to do all they can to avoid dropping two straight games for the second time in a week, Embiid could use a night off. So far this season, he’s appeared in all 14 games for the Sixers, averaging 35 minutes per outing. Recent history suggests Embiid will get the nod to go, but the MVP wasn’t so sure on Tuesday night.