Sixers Rule Joel Embiid Out vs. Knicks on Thursday

PHILADELPHIA, PA -- Wednesday was supposed to be the continuation of Joel Embiid's solo dominance for the Philadelphia 76ers. Knowing his fellow All-Star Ben Simmons is going to be out for a while, Embiid was looking to put the team on his back and try to do all that he can to keep the Sixers within the fight for home-court advantage.

Everything went according to plan on Monday night when the Sixers' big man scored a career-high of 49 points against Atlanta. Then he looked to take that energy into the road game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. Embiid and the Sixers were off to a rough start on Wednesday, and the night didn't get any better for Philly.

Just eight minutes into the matchup, Embiid ended up colliding with another player on the floor. Although Embiid drew a foul, picking up two free throws, the big man was clearly in pain as he kept grabbing at his shoulder. After missing both of his foul shots, the Sixers purposely fouled so they could get the big man off the floor.

Embiid immediately rushed to the Sixers' locker room to get his shoulder checked out. For a moment, there was hope that he would get back into the game as he returned to the bench in the second quarter. However, that didn't last long. Back to the locker room, Embiid went, and he ended up never returning.

By halftime, Embiid was ruled out for the night with a shoulder sprain. Following the game, Embiid told The Inquirer's Keith Pompey that he had an MRI scheduled for Thursday morning. While the results of the tests are not revealed yet, the Sixers have decided to rule the big man out from playing in Thursday's game against the New York Knicks.

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