The Philadelphia 76ers have defied the odds since big man Joel Embiid went down with a left knee bone bruise. Dating back to the game that he incurred the injury, the team has posted a 7-3 record and is currently tied with the Brooklyn Nets for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
More recently, though, Embiid’s absence has been more apparent. In its last two games, Philly has come away with consecutive losses, falling to both the Los Angeles Clippers and the Denver Nuggets by an average of 9.5 points.
Nevertheless, the Sixers will have to continue to find ways to win without the services of their MVP candidate. According to a report on Wednesday, Embiid won’t yet be ready to go for the Sixers next game.
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Embiid Reportedly Out vs Cavs
Per a Twitter report from the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey, Embiid will remain sidelined for Philly’s Thursday night road bout with the Cleveland Cavaliers. And despite the disparity in records between the two teams, that is no small thing for the Sixers.
The rebuilding Cavaliers are currently situated in the No. 13 spot in the Eastern Conference — well out of the playoff race — with a record of 17-30. However, the Cavs have still had the Sixers’ number this season, winning each of the previous two match-ups.
In late February, the Sixers lost 112-109 in overtime to the Cavs at Wells Fargo Center in Philly. Embiid had a monster game for the home team, scoring 42 points on 13-of-22 shooting and adding 13 rebounds, six assists and two blocks in 40 minutes of play.
When the two teams met early in the season, Cleveland decimated the Embiid-less Sixers, 118-94. However, the Cavs were paced by Andre Drummond’s 24-14-3-3-2 line on that night and he is no longer on the roster.
Still, the Cavs clearly have some things working in their favor in this particular match-up. So, Embiid’s continued absence may not bode well here.
Earlier this week, Sixers coach Doc Rivers hinted that Embiid may not be back in the fold until his team’s Saturday night bout with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Perk Punishes Philly for Recent Losses
Power rankings are largely super-subjective in nature and recency bias is the name of the game, but the Sixers were hit particularly hard when longtime NBA big man turned analyst Kendrick Perkins revealed his latest rankings on Wednesday.
Back-to-back losses will never help you where power rankings concerned, but when Perkins tweeted out his latest rankings, the Sixers shockingly came in at No. 8 despite finding themselves tied with the Nets at the top of the conference.
Perkins’ rankings shake out as follows:
1. L.A. Clippers
2. Brooklyn Nets
3. Utah Jazz
4. Phoenix Suns
5. Milwaukee Bucks
6. Portland Trail Blazers
7. Denver Nuggets
8. Philadelphia 76ers
9. Dallas Mavericks
10. L.A. Lakers
Fans were quick to take Perkins to task for seemingly failing to give the Sixers their just due given the way they have played without Embiid.
“Sixers beat every team on this list with Embiid,” replied one fan.
“Sixers at 8? After continuing to win games without Embiid?” added another. “Stop it.”
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