The Sixers submitted a center-heavy injury report Thursday afternoon.
After a 106-102 loss Wednesday night to the Magic, the Sixers listed Joel Embiid (left knee injury management) and Adem Bona (left knee contusion) as out for their mini-series finale Friday vs. Orlando.
Andre Drummond was questionable with a right ankle sprain. The Sixers had initially expected Drummond to miss at least three games, so a Friday night return would come ahead of schedule.
Paul George (left knee injury recovery) and Kyle Lowry (right hip injury recovery) sat out Wednesday on the second night of the Sixers’ back-to-back. Neither player was on the team’s injury report.
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Embiid last played on Nov. 20 and has only appeared in four games this season. Before Wednesday’s game, he worked out on the Wells Fargo Center floor and then chatted with Sixers head coach Nick Nurse on the sidelines. A few minutes later, Nurse said he thought there was “a chance” Embiid would be back Friday.
“I can’t sit up here and guess it out or anything, give you a percentage,” Nurse said. “But again, he worked out today and he’ll go again tomorrow and see how he feels tomorrow. And then I could probably give you a little more of a likelihood, with the game being a day away. But I think there’s a chance he plays, yeah.”
Without Embiid, Guerschon Yabusele has been the Sixers’ starting center. Bona had been his primary backup the last three games, but the springy 6-foot-10 rookie is now sidelined. KJ Martin may very well have to take on significant center minutes. The Sixers also have new two-way contract signing Pete Nance as additional center depth.
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The Sixers’ center situation looks especially daunting because of the Magic’s considerable team size. Orlando grabbed 16 offensive rebounds Wednesday night and improved to 16-8 this season. The Sixers are 14th in the Eastern Conference standings at 5-15.
