CAMDEN, N.J. — The Sixers continue to feel the effects of the injury bug, as Joel Embiid (oblique) and VJ Edgecombe (back) did not participate in Friday morning’s practice, the team said, noting Embiid would remain out and would be reevaluated next week. Meanwhile, Kelly Oubre (illness) returned to practice after missing the team's recent back-to-back.
Embiid was limited to strength and conditioning work and has not resumed on-court activities and will be reevaluated in approximately one week and will miss the team’s upcoming matchups against Atlanta, Cleveland, Memphis, and likely the team’s road matchup in Detroit.
Suffering a right oblique strain in the Sixers' win over the Miami Heat last Thursday, Embiid initially ruled out for three games, expected to be reevaluated ahead of the team’s road game against Atlanta, a crucial game as the Hawks, who currently sit in the tenth seed in the East, are suddenly just two games behind the Sixers in the standings.
Edgecombe is continuing to work his way back after suffering a lumbar contusion in the Sixers' blowout loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday. After a hard foul from behind by fellow rookie Carter Bryant, Edgecombe missed the entire second half of the game, in addition to the Sixers’ down-to-the-wire win over the Utah Jazz. Edgecombe is expected to be reevaluated ahead of the team’s Friday night injury report prior to their game in Atlanta.
Kelly Oubre’s return comes at a pivotal time after missing a pair of games due to an illness. With him, the Sixers were left with few scoring options, even fewer after Edgecombe’s exit. Justin Edwards has played serviceably since his return from his latest G League assignment, but the team still noticeably missed Oubre on the court. He is expected to return on Saturday against the Hawks.
Unless otherwise stated, all stats included in this article are via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass, Basketball Reference or Team Rankings. All salary information via Spotrac.
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