Joel Embiid’s Injury Report Status for Sixers vs. Knicks Game 1

Joel Embiid is on the Philadelphia 76ers' injury report for Game 1 against the New York Knicks.

Jan 5, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) drives | Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

After locking up the Eastern Conference’s seventh seed, the Philadelphia 76ers will battle it out against the New York Knicks for Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on Saturday.

Heading into the game, the Sixers have their superstar center, Joel Embiid, on the injury report. As of Saturday morning, Embiid is listed as questionable for the matchup.

The trend continues for Embiid, who has been listed as questionable leading up to every matchup since his return from an eight-week recovery period due to a meniscus injury.

While Embiid didn’t get the green light to play in every matchup since he took the floor again in early April, he played more often than not.

After missing the Sixers’ regular season finale against the Brooklyn Nets last Sunday, Embiid participated in two practice sessions earlier this week. Heading into the Sixers’ Play-In Tournament matchup against the Miami Heat on Wednesday, Embiid went from being questionable to available.

Against the Heat, Embiid checked in for nearly 40 minutes. In a tight win over Miami, the big man scored 23 points and came down with 15 rebounds. His contributions helped the Sixers send Miami to a battle for the eighth seed.

Going into the Knicks matchup, Embiid is expected to play, but his status is not guaranteed. This season, the big man faced the Knicks in just one of four matchups. In the previous three games between the Sixers and the Knicks, Embiid was in the midst of his meniscus surgery recovery. The team hopes he’ll be good to go for Saturday’s game.