January 08, 2026
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Joel Embiid has played every other day for five games.
Joel Embiid (left knee injury management) is questionable for the Sixers' road game against the Orlando Magic on Friday night, according to the team's injury report for the game unveiled on Thursday which includes no other injury designations:
The Sixers have an injury report for tomorrow’s game @ Orlando:
— Adam Aaronson (@SixersAdam) January 8, 2026
Joel Embiid — left knee injury management — QUESTIONABLE
This is the shortest injury report I can remember the Sixers having in two-plus years.
Embiid had only played in two games in a three-day span one time before his current stretch of five appearances in nine days. His minutes have skyrocketed during that time, too, including a season-high 40 minutes in the Sixers' overtime loss to the Denver Nuggets on Monday. It is why the Sixers' comfortable win over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday was so valuable; Embiid only logged 25 minutes and Tyrese Maxey played a season-low 28 minutes.
This is the shortest initial injury report the Sixers have issued in well over two years; Wednesday's game against Washington marked only the 11th time in 199 games that head coach Nick Nurse has had a full complement of players available to him. Kelly Oubre Jr. and Trendon Watford, both out for well over a month, made returns from injuries.
"It is great," Nurse said before the game. "It is great. Getting them all there, if they get there, is the first step. Getting them all to a level of conditioning and rhythm and their peak performance, that's going to be a ways away yet. But this is the first step in that."
On the other side, Orlando will be without two of its key players, as star wing Franz Wagner remains out with a high ankle sprain and starting guard Jalen Suggs is also sidelined due to a recent knee injury.
