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Update: Embiid felt something with his calf and didn’t play in the second half of the blowout win. He’s expected to be fine going forward and the plan is for him to play Friday against the Warriors. He’s likely to have some sort of injury designation but Philly fans know this story all to well and hope this doesn’t turn into something more serious.
Update: Embiid won’t return for this game, but it’s not because of an injury. It’s because the Sixers have destroyed the Bulls on the scoreboard. Now, if the Bulls do make a comeback, the big man could feasibly be available to play but that seems unlikely at this point.
They just said on the broadcast that Joel Embiid will not return "because of the score differential," citing a team official.
— Rich Hofmann (@rich_hofmann) March 23, 2023
Certainly a risk, but so far, so good for the Sixers. Still up 20+.
Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid remains in the locker room ahead of the second half in Wednesday’s game against the Chicago Bulls, but there has been no additional information regarding his status. Paul Reed has started the second half for the Sixers.
Paul Reed starts 2nd half for Joel Embiid, who isn't on 76ers bench either
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) March 23, 2023
Embiid’s absence probably isn’t going to impact the 76ers much is this game as they have a 28-point lead at this point. However, the big man has gone down at crucial times before and the 76ers really believe they have a shot to win the whole thing this year.
The other problem for Embiid is the MVP race. Although he has downplayed the importance of the award, he has clearly been performing like he wants to win it and even took the lead in the odds to win the award at DraftKings Sportsbook. Having to miss some games late could potentially cost him this honor again.