Tuesday marks the start of the Philadelphia 76ers‘ West Coast road trip after their Monday loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. Next up is a matchup with the Golden State Warriors and Steph Curry.
Joel Embiid‘s situation is the main plot point involving the Sixers at the moment. The reigning MVP was a late scratch against the Denver Nuggets after not being listed on the injury report on Saturday.
Because of his ongoing knee discomfort, Embiid was also sidelined against the Blazers. Embiid was labeled as “questionable” going into Tuesday’s game against the Warriors. He will complete his warm-up routine before making a choice, much like the team has handled him in the past.
Embiid, who has missed the previous two games, is expected to start for the Sixers against the Warriors.
Despite his missed time, Embiid is having yet another MVP-caliber season. Right now, he leads the league in scoring with 36.0 points per game, 11.4 rebounds, and 5.8 assists. However, lost time may ultimately determine whether or not he advances. In order to qualify for awards like MVP and All-NBA, Embiid must participate in a minimum of 65 games during the regular season.
In the games that he does not play, Embiid’s worth has been clearly noticed. The club has had trouble playing without him on nights this season.
Recently, things have been particularly difficult because Tyrese Maxey has also been injured. The Sixers have only three wins this season without Embiid following their loss to the Blazers on Monday.
Now that their main man is back in the starting lineup, the Sixers have a strong chance of winning their next three games.