Sixers' Joel Embiid Expected to Play vs. Hornets on Wednesday

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid continues to deal with a stiff back. Ever since the first stretch of games this season, the setbacks have been reoccurring for the big man. The good news is he hasn't come down with anything too significant.

Just last Monday, Embiid missed his fourth game of the season due to a stiff back. Two days later, he was back out on the floor against the Los Angeles Lakers. While he added onto his back pain and stiffness during the matchup against LA, Embiid managed to play in this past Friday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

After checking in for under 30 minutes in three quarters, Embiid got the entire fourth quarter off as his team took care of business. The following game, the Sixers center didn't appear on the court at all, though, as the stiffness from last Wednesday night's fall was too much for Embiid leading up to the Indiana Pacers matchup on Sunday.

Embiid's back stiffness hasn't forced him to miss consecutive games this year, and it appears that will continue to be the case. With a matchup on the road against the Charlotte Hornets scheduled for Wednesday night, the Sixers seem to anticipate having the Eastern Conference Player of the Month back in the mix.

"Joel practiced today," said Sixers head coach Doc Rivers on Tuesday. "He looked fine --Looked good. As long as there are no setbacks -- that's the problem anything the next day is really the telltale sign. It's how you feel the next day."

It's unclear exactly how Embiid feels on Wednesday leading up to the game against the Hornets, but the Sixers seem to believe he'll be good to go as the star center was left off of the injury report. Barring any notable setbacks during the morning shootaround or pregame warmups, Embiid is expected to face the Hornets on Wednesday.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_