Joel Embiid and Quentin Grimes miss second straight game as Sixers face Knicks
Embiid reported right knee soreness after Saturday's win over the Suns and will be reevaluated after the All-Star break. Grimes is sidelined with an illness.
Joel Embiid and Quentin Grimes will miss their second consecutive game when the 76ers host the New York Knicks on Wednesday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Embiid reported right knee soreness following Saturday’s 109-103 victory over the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center. The center will be reevaluated following the seven-day NBA All-Star break, which begins Thursday.
Meanwhile, Grimes will remain sidelined with an illness. Dominick Barlow, however, will play against the Knicks (34-20) after missing Monday’s 135-118 setback to the Portland Trail Blazers with an illness.
Embiid’s knee “is bothering him enough that he’s not playing,” coach Nick Nurse said. “I think it is improving a little bit. But it’s not quite there to get out there tonight.”
The 7-foot-2, 280-pounder finished with 33 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and one block against the Suns. The 2023 MVP and seven-time All-Star is averaging 29.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in his last 17 appearances.
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The Sixers (30-23) have lost five of the last six games that Embiid has not played. Their lone victory during that stretch was a 113-94 win over the Golden State Warriors on Feb. 3 at the Chase Center. Overall, the Sixers are 11-11 without Embiid and 19-12 when he plays.
“Anybody that’s a little bit sore and signed up has a chance here to get some treatment for a week, and off their feet for a week,” Nurse said. “He would certainly be included in that for sure.”
Nurse added that there’s not a lot of concern that Embiid’s right knee soreness has reemerged. Embiid missed several games earlier this season because of it. He was also sidelined with left knee soreness.
“This is probably what we’ve expected to have happened, that there would be some soreness at times,” Nurse said.
Grimes is averaging 12.7 points and 3.6 assists in 48 games this season.