Joel Embiid and Paul George are 0 for 4 for the 76ers on the season.
Embiid and George’s season debut remain on hold for the Philadelphia 76ers, and both players will miss Wednesday’s game against Detroit due to knee injuries.
Embiid and George participated in part of Tuesday’s practice and their playing status will be reevaluated later in the week.
Sixers coach Nick Nurse declined to discuss their health and possible timeline for returning to the lineup.
“We want these guys to play and we want them to be healthy and we want them to play great and we want them to play great all season,” Nurse said after practice. “Then my main focus is: I have to do the work that I have to do. I have to try to get this team to play as well as possible tomorrow night. That takes a lot of my time.” focus.”
George has yet to make his Sixers debut after signing a contract four-year contract worth $212 million as a free agent this summer. The 34-year-old has a bone bruise, but suffered no structural damage hyperextended his left knee during a preseason game.
George, a nine-time All-Star, was injured when his knee buckled during a defensive play.
Embiid, who won an Olympic gold medal in Paris Team USAhas been out with what the team calls Management of the left knee. The 30-year-old did not play in the preseason.
The NBA investigates why Embiid did not play in the team’s nationally televised season opener against Milwaukee.
The league confirmed that the investigation was opened as part of the NBA’s player participation policy that went into effect last season.
Embiid and George missed both games of a road trip against Toronto and Indiana. Without them, the 76ers are 1-2 heading into Wednesday’s home game against the Pistons. Tyrese Maxey scored 10 of Philadelphia’s 13 overtime points and finished with a season-high 45, helping the 76ers beat the Indiana Pacers 118-114 on Sunday for their first win of the season.
The 76ers also host Memphis on Saturday night.
Embiid was limited to 39 games last season, mainly due to subsequent knee surgery tore the meniscus in his left knee on Jan. 30 against Golden State. He returned for the playoffs and was diagnosed Bell’s palsy during a first-round loss to the Knicks.
Embiid signed a $193 million contract before training camp. The 76ers have failed to advance beyond the second round of the playoffs since 2001 – largely because Embiid has failed to stay healthy.
The Sixers finished 31-8 with Embiid last season and 16-27 without him.
Embiid revealed prior to training camp that he had lost about 25 to 30 pounds to stay in better shape for the grind of the season. That also means you shouldn’t rush back because of further knee problems.
Embiid was the No. 3 pick in the 2014 draft but missed his first two full seasons due to injuries. Since his first full season in 2016, Embiid has played in 433 of a possible 804 regular season games and only 59 of a possible 67 playoff games.
Embiid sprained his right knee in the 2023 playoffs, costing him games against Brooklyn and Boston. He missed two second-round games in 2022 and another first-round match in 2021 with various injuries, on top of the two he missed to start the 2018 playoffs with an orbital fracture and another in 2019, also with a knee problem.
