Sixers' T.J. McConnell expected to return vs. Los Angeles Lakers

The  76ers think T.J. McConnell will play in Thursday night's matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Wells Fargo Center.

The reserve point guard missed the previous three games with a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder.  McConnell was hurt in Wednesday's game against the Washington Wizards.

He attempted to play Monday against the Phoenix Suns but was scratched after he had a tough time raising his arm during the evening shootaround.

"I would really like to play Thursday," McConnell said. "If it's going to limit what I do, I'm not going to limit myself as a player [by playing]. But, I'm going to do everything I can to be ready for Thursday."

The third-year veteran has been receiving massages  and doing strengthening exercises as part of his treatment.  X-rays taken Wednesday were negative. An MRI exam the next day revealed no structural damage.

"I'm thrilled that it's at less significance that I thought it was going to be," coach Brett Brown said of the injury.

McConnell, 25, is averaging 7.1 points, 5.4 assists and 3.6 rebounds in 24.4 minutes.

Justin Anderson (shin splints) and Markelle Fultz (shoulder)  also remained sidelined Monday.

Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons were tied for the team lead in double-doubles with 12 heading into the game. That tied the duo for ninth in the league.

Embiid became the eighth player to finish with at least 1,065 points, 457 rebounds, and 125 assists in his first 50 career games.  The others are former Portland Trail Blazers all-star Sidney Wicks, Los Angeles Clippers standout Blake Griffin and Hall of Famers Elgin Baylor, Oscar Robertson,  Connie Hawkins,  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and George McGinnis.