76ers vs. Bulls: Joel Embiid’s Playing Status on Saturday

Before closing out 2023, the Philadelphia 76ers will pay a visit to the Chicago Bulls for the second back-to-back matchup.

Unfortunately, we’ve already seen the last of Joel Embiid in the year 2023, as the big man has not been cleared for action against the Bulls on Saturday.

Lately, Embiid’s been dealing with a sprained ankle, which he suffered last Friday in a matchup against the Toronto Raptors. Although Embiid played his regular 35-minute shift against the Raptors while dealing with ankle soreness, his status moving forward was unclear.

After receiving his diagnosis, Embiid didn’t travel with the 76ers to face the Miami Heat on Christmas Day. In his absence, the Sixers started Paul Reed, with Mo Bamba playing backup. In the absence of the MVP-winning center, the Sixers fell short with a six-point loss against the Heat.

At that point, the Sixers fell to 0-4 in games played without Embiid this season. That scenario was once again put to the test on Wednesday when the Sixers went toe-to-toe with the Orlando Magic.

Fortunately for Philadelphia, they didn’t have any issues taking care of business against the Magic without Embiid. By picking up a 20-point victory, the Sixers finally won in the absence of their big man. The trend continued on Friday night when the Sixers took on the Houston Rockets.

In a tight back-and-forth battle with the Rockets, the Sixers made it out of Houston with an impressive 131-127 victory without Embiid. While they hope to get him back in the fold sooner than later, the Sixers will roll without Embiid on Saturday, extending his longest absence streak to four games in a row.