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Joel Embiid’s Official Playing Status for 76ers-Heat

Will Joel Embiid face the Heat on Wednesday?
Justin Grasso|
Nov 18, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) looks on against the Miami Heat during the third quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Nov 18, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) looks on against the Miami Heat during the third quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

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With the Miami Heat in town on Wednesday, the Philadelphia 76ers will close out night two of their back-to-back set.

As expected, the Sixers aren’t going to roll with Joel Embiid in the lineup after he made his return on Tuesday night against the Dallas Mavericks.

Nick Nurse suggested that would be the case following Tuesday’s win. The official NBA injury report confirms Embiid is out due to left knee injury management.

At the beginning of the 2024-2025 NBA season, Embiid made it clear that playing on both nights of a back-to-back was unlikely moving forward. So far, Embiid has stuck to that plan.

The 2024-2025 season has been a rough go-round for Embiid, as setbacks have kept him off the floor for a large portion of the year.

As the Sixers went through their first nine games of the year, Embiid had yet to debut. When he finally took the court on November 12, he played in three of the next four games. Then Embiid saw another seven-game absence as knee swelling took him off the court.

Throughout December, Embiid was finding consistency with his availability, even while dealing with a sinus fracture and sprained foot. Unfortunately, He missed a game on January 6 and didn’t return until February 4.

After 15 straight absences, Embiid was back on the floor to face the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday. He checked in for 36 minutes to account for 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists. The big man made 52 percent of his shots and went 4-9 from the free-throw line.

The Sixers defeated the Mavericks by two points to snap a two-game losing streak. They will look to keep the momentum going on Wednesday without Embiid against Miami.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia

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