Joel Embiid returns against Oklahoma City Thunder after two-month absence following knee surgery

Joel Embiid is back.

The reigning NBA Most Valuable Player will make his long-anticipated return for the 76ers on Tuesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder after a two-month absence following surgery on his left knee.

It was a topsy-turvy journey to Embiid being ruled available to play, however.

After reports surfaced Monday morning that Embiid could return as soon as Tuesday’s game at the Wells Fargo Center, the NBA’s injury report released later that afternoon listed Embiid as out for that game. Embiid was not present Tuesday for the Sixers’ morning shootaround but was upgraded to questionable about 90 minutes before tipoff as he took the floor for a closed-door individual workout. He then went through his normal shooting routine about 45 minutes later, in front of fans cheering his name, and after that was officially upgraded to available.

The Sixers, however, will play Tuesday’s game without All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey, who will miss his second consecutive game with left hip tightness. Mo Bamba, who had moved into the starting center spot in Embiid’s absence, will also miss the game with an illness.

During Nick Nurse’s pregame news conference, the coach said he expected Embiid to have a minutes restriction if he did play Tuesday.

“It’s all looked pretty good,” Nurse said of Embiid’s work in recent days, when he traveled on the Sixers’ most recent road trip and participated in practices. “It’s probably typical. Conditioning, rhythm, all those things take time to get back, so that’s part of the equation, too.

“My first thought is this: I want to get him out there and evaluate where we’re at. I think it’s really important to evaluate, each step of the way, how its going. I’m the head coach, and my job is to get this team to play the best it can and that means in the short term and the long term. So I’ll keep both of those things in mind.”

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Embiid was again putting up MVP-caliber — and historic — numbers before his meniscus injury, averaging a career-high 35.3 points per game to go along with 11.3 rebounds, a career-best 5.7 assists, and 1.8 blocks in 34 games.

He had been bothered by a knee issue before the surgery, but the procedure became required when the Golden State Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga fell on his leg in a Jan. 30 Sixers loss. Embiid had the surgery on Feb. 6, and the organization expressed optimism that he would be back on the floor before the end of the regular season.

He rejoins a Sixers team that has struggled mightily without him. They are 11-22 since Jan. 22, which coincides with the late-January road trip when Embiid was injured. They have slipped to eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings, entering Tuesday 1½ games behind the seventh-place Miami Heat and 2½ games back of the Indiana Pacers with seven regular-season games remaining.