January 01, 2025
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Joel Embiid should return to action on Thursday night when the Sixers face the Golden State Warriors.
Joel Embiid, who is in the midst of his best and most consistent stretch of basketball of the season, will be out for the Sixers' first game of 2025, resting during the team's Wednesday night road contest against the Sacramento Kings.
Embiid and the Sixers have made clear that the plan is for him to avoid participating in both ends of any back-to-backs throughout the season, and the Sixers conclude the West Coast swing of their road trip on Thursday night when they travel to San Francisco to face the Golden State Warriors.
Embiid was not going to play in both of those games, so in essence, the Sixers chose to play the former NBA MVP on Thursday against the Warriors instead of on Wednesday against a struggling Kings team which recently fired head coach Mike Brown.
The team's injury report continues to be stacked elsewhere as its depth is tested. Andre Drummond (left toe sprain), Eric Gordon (left oral surgery) and Kyle Lowry (right hip soreness) are all questionable for Sixers-Kings, while Jared McCain and KJ Martin remain out.
Drummond has missed three consecutive games, while Gordon has missed four straight contests. Both players were probable on the team's initial injury report before its game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night, then were downgraded to questionable, then ruled out an hour prior to tip-off. Lowry was sidelined in Portland as well, his first missed game in a little while. However, a strain in that right hip caused a five-game absence for Lowry at the end of November.
The Sixers hope to notch their first five-game winning streak of the season on Wednesday night in Sacramento.
MORE: Previewing Sixers-Kings
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