Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid, high left, and Paul George, backside proper, watch from the bench throughout the first half of an NBA basketball recreation towards the Milwaukee Bucks, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photograph/Matt Slocum)
CAMDEN, New Jersey — Joel Embiid and Paul George are 0 for 4 for the 76ers’ season.
Embiid’s and George’s season debuts stay on maintain for the Philadelphia 76ers, and each gamers will miss Wednesday’s recreation towards Detroit with knee accidents.
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Embiid and George participated in parts of Tuesday’s observe and their enjoying standing might be reassessed later within the week.
READ: NBA to research 76ers over Joel Embiid’s enjoying standing
Sixers coach Nick Nurse declined to elaborate on their well being and potential timeline to return to the lineup.
“We would like these guys to play and we wish them to be wholesome and we wish them to play nice and we wish them to play nice all season,” Nurse stated following observe. “Then my essential focus is, I’ve bought to do the job that I’ve bought to do. I’ve bought to attempt to get this group to play nearly as good as it might tomorrow night time. That takes an enormous chunk of my focus.”
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George has but to make his Sixers debut after he signed a four-year, $212 million contract as a free agent this summer season. The 34-year-old has a bone bruise however didn’t undergo any structural harm when he hyperextended his left knee throughout a preseason recreation.
A nine-time All-Star, George was injured when his knee buckled on a defensive play.
Embiid, who received an Olympic gold medal in Paris with Workforce USA, has been out with what the group calls left knee administration. The 30-year-old didn’t play within the preseason.
Embiid’s absence from the season opener raised suspicion within the NBA, and the league on Tuesday fined the group $100,000 for public statements, together with by president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and by Nurse, that had been inconsistent with Embiid’s well being standing and in violation of NBA guidelines, together with the league’s participant participation coverage. It discovered the participation coverage was not violated.
Embiid and George missed each video games of a street journey towards Toronto and Indiana. With out them, the 76ers are 1-2 headed into Wednesday’s dwelling recreation towards the Pistons. Tyrese Maxey scored 10 of Philadelphia’s 13 additional time factors and completed with a season-high 45 to assist the 76ers beat the Indiana Pacers 118-114 on Sunday for his or her first win of the season.
The 76ers additionally host Memphis on Saturday night time.
Embiid was restricted to 39 video games final season, largely due to knee surgical procedure after tearing the meniscus in his left knee on Jan. 30 towards Golden State. He returned for the playoffs and was identified with Bell’s palsy throughout a first-round loss to the Knicks.
Embiid signed a $193 million contract earlier than coaching camp. The 76ers have did not advance past the second spherical of the playoffs since 2001 — largely as a result of Embiid has failed to remain wholesome.
READ: NBA: 76ers rule Joel Embiid, Paul George out for opener with accidents
The 76ers completed 31-8 final season season with Embiid and 16-27 with out him.
Embiid revealed forward of coaching camp that he dropped about 25 to 30 kilos to remain in higher situation for the season’s grind. That features not dashing again from any additional points with the knee.
Embiid was the No. 3 choose within the 2014 draft however missed his first two full seasons with accidents. Since his first full season in 2016, Embiid has performed in 433 of a doable 804 regular-season video games and solely 59 of 67 doable playoff video games.
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Embiid sprained his proper knee within the 2023 playoffs, which price him video games towards Brooklyn and Boston. He missed two video games within the second spherical in 2022 and one other within the first spherical in 2021 with varied accidents, on high of the 2 he missed to start the 2018 playoffs with an orbital fracture and one other in 2019, additionally with a knee drawback.
