The Philadelphia 76ers have a crucial division showdown with the Boston Celtics Friday in a battle of two teams who expect to compete for the NBA title this season. These teams have already met twice so far this season, splitting the meetings 1-1. Philadelphia hopes reigning league MVP Joel Embiid will be able to suit up for this game after missing Wednesday’s contest due to an illness. Here’s the latest on Embiid’s status.
Joel Embiid injury updates
Update: Embiid has been ruled out for Friday’s game. Paul Reed is likely to get the start in his place.
Update: Embiid didn’t attend the team’s shootaround, so he’s likely still feeling some of the symptoms of his illness. We’ll see if he’s able to get right in time for the game but at this point its safe to assume he’s truly questionable.
The Sixers big man is officially being listed as questionable for this contest. Embiid was a very late scratch Wednesday, so his symptoms likely came up later in the day. Assuming he’s had some time to recover and allow medication to kick in, he should be good to go.
If Embiid is unable to play, Paul Reed likely gets the start in the middle. Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris take on bigger roles offensively, with Maxey shifting into the role of primary scorer.