Joel Embiid Probable for Sixers-Knicks; Karl-Anthony Towns Questionable

After dropping the first two games of their five-game road trip, the Sixers are looking to win their third straight game Saturday when they head to the Big Apple to take on the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

Joel Embiid is probable to play, although he's listed on the injury report with his typical "right knee injury management." Both Johni Broome and MarJon Beauchamp are out since they're on assignment in the G League, while Trendon Watford (adductor) and Kelly Oubre Jr. (knee) are also out due to the injuries that have sidelined them since November.

On the Knicks' side, Josh Hart is out due to a right ankle sprain and Landry Shamet is out due to a right shoulder sprain. Karl-Anthony Towns, who missed the Knicks' loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night due to an illness, is listed as questionable. The Knicks also held Mitchell Robinson out of Friday's game due to "left ankle injury management," although he's not even listed on the injury report for Saturday's game, so he should be active.

With Hart sidelined and Towns questionable, Robinson could have his hands full with Embiid on Saturday night.

A battle of fatigue

The Knicks are playing in their third game in four nights, while the Sixers are closing out a five-game road trip. Both teams may be running somewhat on fumes, especially since all three of Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges played 35 minutes against the Hawks on Friday.

Hart has missed the Knicks' past four games with this ankle injury. Rookie second-round pick Mohamed Diawara started in his place for the first three games, but head coach Mike Brown changed it up Friday and started Deuce McBride in his place. It wouldn't be surprising if he went back to Diawara on Saturday, as the 6'2", 190-pound Brunson and 6'2", 195-pound McBride would be giving up size to Sixers rookie VJ Edgecombe.

In the Sixers and Knicks' first meeting of the season—which Embiid missed—Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey combined for 53 points on 21-of-42 shooting in a 116-107 Sixers victory. The Sixers held Brunson to only 22 points on 7-of-22 shooting, which was his fourth-worst game from an efficiency standpoint all season.

The Sixers are ranked 12th leaguewide in defensive rating on the season, but they're fourth since Dec. 1. If they lock in on that end of the floor, they should be able to take advantage of the Knicks' tired legs and hold them to below-average shooting.

Own the glass, own the game

The Knicks are one of the NBA's best rebounding teams, but the absence of Hart looms large here, particularly if Towns sits. Despite standing only 6'5", Hart is third on the team with 8.0 rebounds per game. Keeping Robinson off the offensive glass—he's averaging a career-high 4.7 offensive rebounds in only 18.5 minutes per game—will be one of the main keys to a Sixers victory.

Embiid is no longer the nightly double-double threat that he was in his prime, as he's averaging a career-low 6.5 rebounds per game this season. The Sixers have made up for that by gang-rebounding. Edgecombe, Dominick Barlow and Paul George are all averaging at least five rebounds per game, while Maxey is pulling down a career-high 4.5 boards per game of his own.

That's another area where fatigue could show up for the Knicks, particularly if they aren't sound with their box-out fundamentals. Regardless of whether Towns plays Saturday, the Knicks might deploy former Sixers forward Guerschon Yabusele off the bench just to combat the Sixers' frontcourt size.

With a victory Saturday, the Sixers could earn at least a split of the season series with the Knicks. Even if that doesn't come into play for tiebreaker purposes, this is a chance for the Sixers to make another statement win about their place in the Eastern Conference.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.

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