Uncertainty regarding the status of Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid for any given game has been a career-long issue. Fortunately, we’re here to help.
When the Sixers travel to Detroit to take on the Pistons in an NBA Cup game on Friday night, the star center won’t be on the court with his teammates.
Joel Embiid won’t play vs. Pistons due to knee soreness
Embiid has been ruled out of Philadelphia’s game on Friday night against Detroit due to right knee soreness. It will be the second consecutive game that Embiid has missed because of the issue. He was also held out of the Sixers 102-100 victory over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night after first experiencing soreness during shootaround that day.
There was imaging done on Embiid's knee and the good news is that there was no structural damage. The big man is considered to be day-to-day moving forward.
When it comes to Embiid, the Sixers have always erred on the side of caution, so it's not necessarily surprising, or alarming, that he's not playing against Detroit. However, if his absence extends into the following games, that could be a cause for concern.
On the season, Embiid has appeared in six games and posted averages of 19.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.5 blocks in 23.3 minutes per performance.
The game on Friday night is the second cup game of the season for both Philadelphia and Detroit. The Pistons won their first cup contest over the Brooklyn Nets, while the Sixers suffered a defeat at the hands of the Celtics in their first cup game.