76ers vs. Magic: Joel Embiid’s Playing Status on Sunday

The Philadelphia 76ers’ star trio of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and James Harden continues to deal with notable injury concerns as the season progresses.

For the starting backcourt tandem of Maxey and Harden, they were issued multi-week timetables for their recovery. Harden, who will likely be back in action sooner than the third-year guard, could be on the floor in early December.

As for Maxey, he will take a little longer since his injury occurred just last week.

When it comes to Joel Embiid, who is dealing with a mid-foot sprain, which he suffered last Saturday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the big man hasn’t been issued a timetable for return. When Embiid was initially diagnosed earlier in the week, the Sixers ruled Embiid out for the two matchups against the Brooklyn Nets and the Charlotte Hornets.

When Friday’s game against the Orlando Magic approached, Embiid was ruled out for a third-straight game. With a rematch against the Magic on Sunday in place, the 76ers will once again roll without their big man, as Embiid has been ruled out for a fourth-straight game.

Ahead of Friday’s game against the Magic, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers revealed that Embiid did not make the trip to Orlando and instead stayed back to continue on-court work with his All-Star teammate, James Harden.

While Rivers didn’t have any updates regarding Embiid’s potential return, it was clear that the big man’s status against Orlando on Sunday was in doubt considering he wasn't around. Sure enough, that’s the case.

The Sixers will head home on Sunday night to begin preparing for the second matchup of a back-to-back against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday. It’s unclear if Embiid will be ready to go on Monday or if he’ll miss a fifth-straight matchup. With the team taking it day-by-day, the big man’s status remains unclear beyond Sunday’s game.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.