The Philadelphia 76ers missed their star center, Joel Embiid, against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.
Although Embiid was on the court for the team’s previous two games against the Brooklyn Nets and the Chicago Bulls, the star center popped back up on the injury report with a new injury designation.
According to the Sixers’ injury report, Embiid has sprained his ankle. The setback occurred during the December 26 game against the Chicago Bulls.
During the outing, Embiid checked in for 32 minutes. He went 10-19 from the field, scoring 31 points. In addition to his scoring, Embiid came down with five rebounds, blocked one shot, and produced one assist.
Unfortunately, Embiid and the Sixers couldn’t get the job done. After a disappointing loss against the struggling Brooklyn Nets, the Sixers dropped the matchup against the Bulls with a 109-102 loss.
Without Embiid on Sunday, the Sixers were dominated by the defending NBA Champions. Taking on a 129-104 loss, the Sixers dropped their third-straight game. On Tuesday, they are set to face the Memphis Grizzlies.
Will Joel Embiid Return to Face the Grizzlies?
Although the Sixers were operating with the belief that Embiid could miss more action, the team cleared him to play in Tuesday’s game against the Grizzlies. He has been upgraded from questionable to available.
Embiid started the 2025-2026 season on a good note. After undergoing a second surgery in under two years last season, Embiid was cleared for the first two games of the season. He ended up playing in four out of five games to begin the year.
It got shaky for Embiid in November. When the Sixers reached their November 9 matchup against the Detroit Pistons, Embiid fired up a multi-week absence. He ended up missing nine games in a row.
Heading into January, Embiid has just 13 games to show for so far. Seeing the court for an average of 27 minutes, Embiid produced 21.8 points while shooting 44 percent from the field. He also posted averages of 6.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.3 blocks.
The Sixers are 6-7 when the star center is on the court. Overall, they hold a 16-14 record for the year. Heading into Tuesday’s action, the Sixers are seventh in the Eastern Conference, trailing the Miami Heat by 0.5 games. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies are 15-17 with six wins out of their last 10 games.
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