The Philadelphia 76ers have spent much of the month post All-Star playing without the services of Joel Embiid. Embiid missed their first game after All Star due to contact tracing after he and Ben Simmons’ barber tested positive, and in his first game after that he suffered a knee injury that, happily, wasn’t as severe as it appeared.
Still, the Sixers have been cautious in making sure he isn’t rushing back and he has missed the last three weeks of action. On Wednesday there was some good news on the Embiid front as Shams Charania reported that, barring a setback, Embiid will make his return to the court on Saturday night against the Timberwolves.
76ers star Joel Embiid (knee) is expected to return on Saturday vs. Minnesota, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Barring any setbacks, the MVP candidate is back in lineup Saturday after missing three weeks.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 1, 2021
We will have to await official word from Doc Rivers and the Sixers to confirm, and it will likely be deemed a “gametime decision” in the lead up. But it’s great news that one of the MVP frontrunners prior to the injury is on his way back, and not a moment too soon for a Sixers team that just dropped back-to-back games to contenders in the Clippers and Nuggets. Still, Ben Simmons and company managed to keep Philly in a tie atop the East by going 6-3 in their star big man’s absence — with one more game they should win against the Cavs to come before his return against Minnesota.
