PHILADELPHIA, PA — The morning of the Philadelphia 76ers‘ NBA Cup matchup against the Brooklyn Nets, Joel Embiid was listed on the injury report as questionable. Just 30 minutes before tipoff, the Sixers’ star center would be downgraded to OUT.
Before the game, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse met with the media and stated that Embiid would go through his normal pregame warmup/walkthrough, and then a decision would be made about his status.
Ultimately, that did not happen, as Embiid never made his way to the court for his walkthrough, and the notification of his absence from the lineup made its way through the team to the media.
What exactly happened between Embiid’s 35-point performance and today is not certain, but when the city needed to see him respond to his critics on the court, Embiid did not suit up. Obviously, injuries can only be helped to a certain degree, but if it’s truly an issue to this degree following an off day, it’s undeniably a major concern.
The Sixers sit at 2-12 on the season ahead of the matchup against the Nets, and the odds of their third victory coming tonight just took a major hit.
