January 02, 2026
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Joel Embiid has not played at Madison Square Garden since the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
Joel Embiid (right knee injury management) is probable to play when the Sixers conclude their five-game road trip at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks on Saturday night, according to the team's initial injury report for the game unveiled on Friday, which no longer has mention of the right ankle sprain that had been plaguing Embiid over the course of the last few games:
The Sixers have an injury report for tomorrow's game @ New York:
— Adam Aaronson (@SixersAdam) January 2, 2026
Joel Embiid – right knee injury management – PROBABLE
Kelly Oubre Jr. – left knee sprain – OUT
Trendon Watford – left adductor strain – OUT
Embiid’s right ankle sprain no longer listed.
Embiid has played in four of the Sixers' last five games, the first time he has done that since the team's opening five-game stretch of the season. Across Tuesday's game in Memphis and Thursday's game in Dallas, Embiid played in two games during a three-day span for the second time this season.
Before that pair of appearances, Embiid's season-high in minutes was 32; he played 38 minutes in Memphis and tacked on another 35 in Dallas. Embiid playing in New York would mark his first time this season playing three games in a five-day span.
Over the last week, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Trendon Watford have both returned to practice and made strides as they near returns. Oubre was fourth in the NBA in minutes per game prior to the Nov. 14 game in which he was injured, starting in all of his appearances, while Watford was not a permanent starter but was a rotation fixture at power forward for head coach Nick Nurse.
