Sixers to be without Joel Embiid (tendinitis) against the Warriors tomorrow in Philadelphia

It appears that the 76ers’ star center Joel Embiid will miss his 5th consecutive game with tendinitis in his left knee on Saturday when the team hosts the defending champions.

Embiid sat out a game against the Portland Trailblazers with this injury back on December 30th, 2018. The issue resurfaced before the NBA All-Star break. Head Coach Brett Brown has suggested that he does not believe Embiid playing in the All-Star game contributed to the aggravation. Brown has said he was aware of the issue prior to that game. He also added that the time Embiid spent away from game-action over the break could have actually contributed to the return of the injury.

It is officially a situation to monitor. Originally it was reported that the two-time All-Star would be re-evaluated in a week back on February 20th. Hopefully it’s nothing serious and the team is merely taking precautions. Winning against the defending champs, the Warriors, won’t be easy without him. But there is no need to rush and risk this getting worse with the playoffs just 20 games away.

The team will also be without the services of reserve center Boban Marjanović. The 30 year old from Serbia sprained his right knee and missed last last night’s game in Oklahoma.

Without their best player, the Sixers have turned to a combination of rookie Jonah Bolden and some small-ball lineups with forward Mike Scott at center. They recently re-called center Justin Patton up from the G League although he did not see action in his first eligible contest.

The Sixers (40-22) are in 4th place in the Eastern Conference. They have won 3 out-of-the 4 contests Embiid has missed so far and they’ll look to make it 4 out-of-5 tomorrow night at the crib.