Joel Embiid, James Harden available to play in Sixers’ game vs. Dallas Mavericks

Both players missed Monday’s loss at the Denver Nuggets, the Sixers’ fourth defeat in five games while navigating multiple injuries.

Sixers center Joel Embiid passes the basketball against the Chicago Bulls on Monday, March 20, 2023 in Philadelphia.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer

by Gina Mizell

Updated Mar. 29, 2023, 7:15 p.m. ET

Published Mar. 29, 2023, 12:41 p.m. ET

Joel Embiid (calf tightness) and James Harden (Achilles soreness) are available to play in Wednesday’s 76ers home game against the Dallas Mavericks.

Their return comes after both players missed Monday’s loss at the Denver Nuggets, the Sixers’ fourth defeat in five games while navigating multiple injuries.

Embiid, an MVP contender and the NBA’s leading scorer at 33.3 points per game, has been dealing with his calf issue since last week. He sat out the second half of a March 22 win at the Chicago Bulls, then played in losses at the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns on Friday and Saturday, then missed Monday’s anticipated showdown against the Nuggets back-to-back MVP winner Nikola Jokic. Embiid is also averaging 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting a career-best 54.5% from the floor this season.

Harden, the NBA’s leader in assists at 10.8 per game, missed all four games on that Sixers road trip. There was optimism he would return for Monday’s game in Denver after he participated in shootaround, but was ruled out about 30 minutes before tipoff. Harden is also averaging 21.4 points and 6.3 rebounds this season, with five triple-doubles.

The Sixers (49-26) did not hold a shootaround Wednesday morning. Following their matchup against the Mavericks, they will host the Toronto Raptors on Friday before marquee games at the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday and against the Boston Celtics next Tuesday.