Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid will be absent from Thursday night’s matchup against the Houston Rockets after being sidelined by illness.
The timing proves challenging for Philadelphia, as the franchise currently sits in eighth place with a 43-36 record while battling to secure a better playoff position in the Eastern Conference. The 76ers trail the sixth-seeded Toronto Raptors by one game, with Toronto holding a 44-35 record and only three contests left on the schedule.
This season, the 32-year-old Embiid has contributed 26.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game across 38 appearances, all as a starter.
The dominant big man earned MVP honors during the 2022-23 campaign and has been selected to seven All-Star games throughout his career. Over his entire NBA tenure, Embiid has posted averages of 27.6 points and 10.8 rebounds across 490 games since Philadelphia selected him third overall in the 2014 NBA Draft.
