Former MVP Joel Embiid will return to Philadelphia’s starting lineup on Sunday afternoon vs. Chicago, the Sixers announced (via Twitter).
Embiid, who has missed the past seven games, was questionable heading into Sunday’s contest due to left knee injury management. Prior to the game, head coach Nick Nurse said the star center would be on a minutes restriction if he was able to suit up (Twitter link via K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network).
The 30-year-old big man has been limited to just four games this season. Embiid underwent surgery on the knee last winter prior to returning at the end of the 2023/24 season. He managed to play in the 2024 Olympics in Paris with Team USA, but has experienced swelling and discomfort to open ’24/25. He was also suspended for three games after an altercation with a columnist and has missed time for personal reasons.
As Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes, Embiid will almost certainly be ineligible for major postseason awards for the second straight season. He has already missed 17 games in ’24/25, and if he misses one more, he’ll be disqualified due to the 65-game rule.
The 76ers have won three of their past four games, but are still just 6-15, making them the No. 13 seed in the East.