After listing Joel Embiid as questionable ahead of Monday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans, the Philadelphia 76ers have upgraded the starting center to available. Although he’s dealing with back soreness, Embiid will play and get the nod to start on Monday night, as expected.
Embiid’s been on quite the hot streak this month. Since the Sixers kicked off their December stretch in Memphis on the second, Embiid started with a 35-point outing on the road. Since then, the big man’s numbers have been league-leading.
In 13 games this month, Embiid has averaged 35 points while draining 55 percent of his shots and 42 percent of his threes. Along with scoring, Embiid came down with ten rebounds per game and averaged two blocks and one steal on the defensive end.
Earlier this season, the big man struggled with staying healthy. After appearing in the Sixers’ first five games, Embiid missed his first outing due to knee soreness. Then after returning for one game, Embiid caught the flu, which caused a three-game absence.
The big man was good to go for six-straight games when he was cleared from the flu, but a mid-foot sprain he suffered on November 19 called for another four-game absence. While Embiid’s been healthy and available for 15 straight games, back soreness put the All-Star on the injury report for Monday’s game.
Fortunately for the Sixers, Embiid will be on the floor Monday night. When Embiid faced the Pelicans on Friday night, he scored 37 points on 64 percent shooting.Â
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
