Getty Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid
The Philadelphia 76ers get a chance to move to 3-0 against the upstart Atlanta Hawks on Monday night. The question is if the Sixers will have All-Star big man Joel Embiid on the floor to help their cause.
Embiid missed the Sixers last game with an ankle sprain, and will be ready to go against the Hawks. Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported Embiid will be on the floor.
Joel Embiid will play
Embiid will face off against a team that is pretty slim at center. Alex Len holds down the starting spot and Damian Jones is the only other true center on the roster.
In his lone game of the season, Embiid logged 23 minutes and went for 15 points and 13 rebounds. He also had 3 blocks and 3 assists.
Joel Embiid Wants to be on the Floor More This Season for Sixers
GettyPhiladelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid.
The injury is concerning just when looking at Embiid’s injury history. He hasn’t played in more than 64 games in his career, a state he hoped to change this year as eyes an NBA MVP award and leading the Sixers to the championship.
“[The goal is] winning a championship, obviously,” Embiid said. “Championship and more. We have that opportunity. Going into this year, one of the things we gotta focus on is we really want that No. 1 seed. And that’s gonna take 60 and over in wins. And I know that team success also helps me when it comes to my goal, Defensive Player of the Year and MVP.”
Embiid came to Philadelphia 76ers training camp 20 pounds lighter and a focus on being in shape for the entire season, with an eye on playing a career-high 70 games.
“I just remember thinking I let my team down,” Embiid told ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. “You can’t control sickness or when it’s going to happen. Obviously my knee was bothering me the whole second half of the season and the playoffs. But all I was thinking was what can I do make sure I don’t let my teammates down again or my team. Or the whole city basically. That was to take better of my body. To work on the stuff I never really paid attention to, and it’s been going well the whole summer.”
Sixers vs. Hawks: Betting Line, Odds and Prediction
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The Sixers are a 5.5-point road favorite against Atlanta, a squad they have some surprisingly close games against last season despite the Hawks being one of the worst teams in the league.
The Hawks won three out of the four matchups last season, all in high-scoring fashion. All of the games eclipsed the 240 points mark, the outlier being Sixers 113-92 win. With a renewed focus on the defensive side of the ball for Philly, it will more than likely be a low-scoring affair this time around.
The Hawks have won both of their games this season, downing the Pistons 117-100 and the Magic 103-99. Those are solid wins, but not against teams the caliber of the Sixers. So far this season, Hawks guard Trae Young has averaged 38.5 points and 7.0 rebounds and 9.0 assists. However, he’ll have a tough matchup, likely seeing attention from Ben Simmons, Josh Richardson and rookieMatisse Thybulle.
With Embiid in the lineup, this seems like an easy pick.
Pick: Sixers -5.5
Prediction: Sixers 115, Hawks 103
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