The Philadelphia 76ers will look to snap a three-game losing streak when they head to New Orleans to take on the Pelicans on Saturday night.
The bad news for Philly is that they’ll be without their former league MVP for the contest.
Joel Embiid ruled out vs. Pelicans due to right knee injury management, shin soreness
Star center Joel Embiid has been ruled out of the game in New Orleans due to right knee injury management and right shin soreness. It will be the fourth consecutive game missed by Embiid.
On the season, Embiid has appeared in 31 games for Philadelphia and posted averages of 26.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.1 blocks per performance.
The Sixers have struggled mightily as of late without Embiid. They’ve gone just 1-6 in games that the big man has missed since the calendar flipped to 2026. It’s an area where the Sixers clearly need to improve, because if Embiid is going to do one thing, it’s miss games.
“I think when Joel plays, he just demands a lot,” Sixer center Andre Drummond said after Philadelphia’s 117-107 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday night, via Sixers Wire. “I think it’s hard to switch that off when he’s not around.
“So, I think for us, it’s just finding a way to get out of that mindset of having the big dog around and where a lot of other guys have to step up and play different roles when he isn’t around.”
The game in New Orleans is the first night of a back-to-back for the Sixers, as they’ll travel to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves on Sunday night. Embiid’s status for that game is to be determined.
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