Who is in, Who is Out for Sixers-Rockets Game on Thursday?

After missing the second leg of the Sixers' back-to-back with the Indiana Pacers and Phoenix Suns early this week, Joel Embiid is listed as 'probable' to play against the Houston Rockets on Thursday with right ankle injury management on the game's initial injury report.

Paul George, who surprisingly missed both legs of the back-to-back, is questionable with left knee injury management.

Rookie big Johni Broome and two-way contractor MarJon Beauchamp are listed as 'doubtful' due to G League assignments.

The biggest definitive absence is on Houston's side.

Big man Steven Adams is out indefinitely with a severely sprained left ankle.

Veteran point guard Fred VanVleet is out as he recovers from a torn ACL in his right knee, while reserve poitn guard Aaron Holiday is listed as 'questionable' with back spasms.

Tristen Newton is on a two-way G League assignment and will be out.

While no one wants to see anyone injured, Adams' absence inches this matchup more in Philadelphia's favor. Even with Kevin Durant, the Rockets are an exactly average halfcourt offense, according to Cleaning The Glass. Yet, Houston is far and away the best offensive rebounding team in the league.

Adams spear-heads their offensive rebounding prowess with a 20.1-percent offensive rebounding rate on missed field goals. The second highest offensive rebounding rate on the team belongs to Clint Capela, who is not a mainstay in Ime Udoka's rotation. Houston's next most consistent offensive rebounder has a rate that is only 205 percent below Adams'.

Adams' absence thus puts major pressure on the Rockets to execute their first-shot offense, and the Sixers' deficiencies on the glass are very well known.

In other words, Houston is going to have to rely on heroic defensive playmaking from Amen Thompson and excellent offensive production from Alperen Sengun and Durant to win this game. Unfortunately for the Sixers, those things are all very possible.

Jabari Smith Jr. looms as a swing factor for the Rockets in this matchup. If he can provide Houston some offensive juice with his shooting, they may be able to tread water and rely on their defense to neutralize the Sixers.

Embiid, as is usually the case, looms as the Sixers' biggest swing factor, should he be ruled available to play. Not only can he flip the game in the Sixers' favor by neutralizing Sengun, but he might be able to re-wire the Rockets' shot selection to rely more on the perimeter, where they are accurate but infrequent shooters.