Is Joel Embiid Playing Tonight vs Nets? Feb 3rd Injury Update for Sixers MVP Candidate

The Philadelphia 76ers had a concerning four-game stretch. The Sixers began their five-game road trip with a four-game skid but managed to save face by grabbing a huge win against the Utah Jazz. Returning back to Pennsylvania for a four-game homestand, the Philly side is set to face their division rivals Brooklyn Nets. In hopes of building a win streak, fans will want Joel Embiid to suit up for the clash.

Joel Embiid was a last-minute scratch against the Denver Nuggets on the 27^th of January. Due to his abrupt absence, naysayers believed that JoJo was “ducking” Nikola Jokic. But, he proceeded to sit out for the next fixture against the Portland Trail Blazers as well. However, despite not being fully fit, the reigning MVP played against the Golden State Warriors.

Late in the contest, while he was in a scramble for the ball, Embiid went down on the floor. To make matters worse, Jonathan Kuminga fell on the Sixers leader’s injured knee. Immediately after, JoJo heads to the locker room being accompanied by medical staff members.

Joel Embiid missed the contest against the Utah Jazz and will be sidelined for tonight’s clash against the Brooklyn Nets as well.

Joel Embiid has missed 13 games this season

Joel Embiid is having a historic season. The 29-year-old is putting up a league-high 35.3 points per game along with 11.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists. Clearly, Embiid is a strong contender to win the 2024 MVP. However, there is a huge possibility that Joel won’t even become eligible for consideration for the prestigious honour.

According to the NBA’s new Player Participation Policy, only players with 65 games can be considered for the major individual accolades. So far, Embiid has missed 13 games and is set to sit out for the 14^th occasion. In order to compete for the MVP and All-NBA honors, the big man can only miss three more games. After tonight’s clash, the Sixers have 34 more games remaining. Having injured his lateral meniscus, there could be a possibility that Embiid misses out on his 2^nd MVP award due to the newly introduced rule.

With Embiid being on the brink of losing out on a well-deserved award, several players have stood up for him. Initially, Draymond Green spoke about the issue, criticizing the policy. On his podcast, the Warriors leader said:

“Joel comes out there tonight and he forces it. Now we’ve got one of our premier faces in this league, the MVP of our league, possibly hurt for an extended period of time because he’s forcing it.”

Further, LeBron James also took to X (formerly “Twitter”), clapping back at all the Embiid detractors.

With Joel Embiid sidelined, the Sixers have struggled, losing 9 of their 13 games. With no return timeline set yet, fans will hope that Tyrese Maxey and co. can hold their ground and not tumble down the standings till their star player returns.