Sixers vs Pacers Injury Report: Embiid Out

The Philadelphia Sixers ruled All-Star center Joel Embiid out for Friday’s road game against the Indiana Pacers due to post-surgery recovery.

The Sixers need some help to move up in the standings over their final two regular season games, if they want to avoid the play-in tournament, which seems unlikely at this point.

Pacers vs. Sixers: Notable Absences on Both Sides

Embiid was ruled out before the Thursday game in Houston after he was diagnosed with appendicitis. He underwent a successful appendectomy on Thursday in Houston, but will likely miss the rest of the regular season, if not longer.

The Sixers are on the second game of a back-to-back on Friday and will finish out the NBA regular season on Sunday against Milwaukee at home.

For Indiana on Friday, Pascal Siakam, Ivica Zubac, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, T.J. McConnell, Johnny Furphy, and Tyrese Haliburton are out. Jarace Walker, Ben Sheppard, and Kobe Brown are listed as questionable.

The Pacers are not interested in winning, nor are the Bucks, who the Sixers will face on Sunday.

Path to the Postseason: Play-In Tournament Scenarios

Even a 2-0 mark will likely have the Sixers in the play-in tournament. The Sixers need to win both of their remaining games plus a Raptors loss to both the Knicks and Nets, to avoid the play-in tournament.

The Sixers are currently ranked eighth in the Eastern Conference field, one full game behind Orlando in the play-in tournament. They are two full games behind both Atlanta and Toronto for a playoff spot, but the Sixers lost the season series to the Hawks.

Friday’s game begins at 7:30 p.m. on 97.3 ESPN.