The Philadelphia 76ers failed to begin their four-game road trip on a successful note. With Joel Embiid sidelined, Tyrese Maxey failed to lead the Sixers to grab a Christmas Day win against the Miami Heat, despite Jimmy Butler missing the game as well. Now that the team travels to Orlando to go up against the in-form Magic, Embiid’s availability will be the big question.
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Not much has changed on the team’s injury report from their previous fixture. Five players have been added to the list for the Philadelphia 76ers’ clash against the Orlando Magic. Ricky Council IV, Kenneth Lofton Jr., and Terquavion Smith are on the G-League assignment. Whereas, joining Nicolas Batum, Joel Embiid (right ankle sprain) is listed to be “OUT”.
This will be the fifth game Embiid will be missing this season. Notably, the 76ers have lost all the games, they played without the 2023 MVP so far this season. With a 20-9 record, the Sixers are 3rd in the East, but whether or not the team can without their main man is yet to be seen.
The Orlando Magic also have several big names added to their injury report. With the likes of Markelle Fultz and Kevon Harris set to miss the clash and Gary Harris, Joe Ingles, and Jonathan Issac listed as “questionable”, it’s incredibly hard to gauge the team at the moment. However, the Magic are on a two-game win streak at the moment, meaning they come into this game with some serious momentum. Having lost their last game already, Maxey and the Sixers will be hoping to weather the storm before they can grab a much-needed victory.
Joel Embiid is putting up another MVP campaign
Joel Embiid’s performance this season has been better than his previous campaign when he was awarded the Most Valuable Player honor. Last season, JoJo recorded 33.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. Whereas, in the first 25 games of this campaign, the big man has lodged 35 points and 11.7 rebounds along with 2 blocks per game.
Apart from having won the Eastern Conference Player of the Week twice already, Embiid remains to be at the top-most position on the latest MVP Ladder. Additionally, the Philly side is #3 in the West, merely three games behind the best record in the East. Putting everything into consideration, Embiid has already made a strong case to win the MVP for the second time.
The main concern for the Philadelphia 76ers has been the team’s performance in Embiid’s absence. The Sixers have suffered losses in all four games that their leader has been on the bench – the Timberwolves, the Pelicans, the Celtics, and the Heat.
Performing well in the playoff is extremely important, in terms of Embiid’s legacy. However, he will certainly require his teammates to step up and increase their production when the time comes.
