Joel Embiid ruled out for Monday’s game vs. Pistons [UPDATE]

UPDATE: Jan. 25, 5:18 p.m. — Embiid has been ruled out for Monday’s game vs. the Detroit Pistons. Embiid had popped up on the injury report over the weekend with back soreness, though he was available to play in Saturday’s win. Embiid scored 33 points with 14 boards against Detroit over the weekend after combining for 80 points in back-to-back wins over the Celtics.

With Embiid sidelined on Monday, the Sixers will start Dwight Howard at center. Embiid’s absence is also a boost in DFS to Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons. The Sixers are 6.5 point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, but that isn’t accounting for the Embiid news. The line shouldn’t change too much. Philly has operated fine without Embiid this season and the Pistons are among the bottom feeders in the NBA.

UPDATE: Jan. 23, 7:34 p.m. — Embiid, Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris are all available to play in Saturday’s game vs. the Pistons.

Philadelphia 76ers C Joel Embiid is questionable to play in Saturday’s game vs. the Detroit Pistons due to a back injury. The Sixers are on the tail end of a back-to-back after taking care of the Boston Celtics on Friday night. Embiid finished with 38 points and 11 rebounds in the win, continuing to make his case for NBA MVP. The Sixers moved to 11-5, the best record in the Eastern Conference.

If Embiid is held out, the Sixers will likely start Dwight Howard at center. This will make Howard a very appealing chalk play on DraftKings at $4,300. Embiid being out would also boost the value of PG/SF Ben Simmons ($8,200) and F Tobias Harris ($7,300). The Pistons also announced that Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose are sitting out to rest. This will make Detroit’s bench shorter and could end up being a lopsided win for the Sixers.

The line on this game right now is Sixers favored by 7 points. We should expect things to shift a bit. Embiid could end up playing and with Griffin and Rose out, we could see the number go up to double digits in favor of Philly. The over/under is at 218, so this number also could go down in anticipation of Embiid sitting. There’s some edge to this news, so keep an eye on the reports and if Embiid is out, pounce on the under.

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