Joel Embiid Questionable vs. Mavericks on Friday

The Philadelphia 76ers have been fortunate to have their star center Joel Embiid healthy and available for most of the season. As Embiid has struggled to stay

The Philadelphia 76ers have been fortunate to have their star center Joel Embiid healthy and available for most of the season. As Embiid has struggled to stay on the court over the last few seasons, the All-Star big man is on pace to play in the most regular-season games in his career this year.

Outside of a battle with COVID-19 back in November, Embiid hasn't missed consecutive games this year. And the last time the big man missed a matchup was back in late January when he got a rest night against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Going into Wednesday night's game on the road against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Embiid was on pace to play in his 18th straight matchup. However, a back injury nearly derailed that streak.

Following a Wednesday morning shootaround in Cleveland, the Sixers added Embiid to the injury report. At the time, the star center was downgraded to questionable as he was dealing with back soreness.

Embiid's back soreness resulted from a hard fall he took on Monday night when the Sixers faced the Denver Nuggets for the second time this season.

After getting a few hours of rest and going through his pregame warmups, Embiid received the green light to play on Wednesday after being deemed a game-time decision by Sixers head coach Doc Rivers.

The All-Star big man checked into Wednesday's game for a little under 35 minutes. He stood out as he shot 13-19 from the field and knocked down eight of his ten free throws. In the end, Embiid finished the matchup with 35 points and 17 rebounds.

After the game, Embiid mentioned he was feeling good, but his status for Friday's game at home against the Dallas Mavericks remains up in the air.

According to the Sixers' injury report, Embiid is questionable with back soreness once again. It's unclear if he's leaning more towards playing or not once again, but the chances of Embiid being a game-time decision once again are high.

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