The Philadelphia 76ers are coming off arguably their worst two-game stretch, a dreadful loss against the Brooklyn Nets, and then a late-game collapse against the Chicago Bulls. It would’ve been nice if their opponents tonight were a mid-table team, as it would’ve given them a breather to re-collect themselves, but that isn’t the case.

That’s because the Sixers are up against the defending champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, tonight. So, it’s safe to say that if Philadelphia wants to snap its losing streak, it’ll have to field its best starting lineup. However, that would massively depend on Joel Embiid’s availability, who has been dealing with an ankle injury. So, will he be back tonight?

Is Joel Embiid playing tonight against the Thunder?

Well, no. Joel Embiid will not be taking the court tonight due to the same right ankle sprain issue, and also the usual knee injury management. This started during the Sixers’ matchup against the Nets, where Embiid bumped knees with a player and had to leave the game. However, it seemed fine as the 31-year-old played well against the Bulls in the next game.

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The former MVP finished the night with 31 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 assist. But now, he’s ruled for tonight’s massive clash, which is a bummer, especially with him looking in great shape in the recent clashes. Nonetheless, his absence isn’t something that the 76ers haven’t dealt with; after all, he’s just played 13 games this season.

So, entering this game without Joel Embiid shouldn’t be much of a concern. However, the thing is, there’s more for the Sixers to worry about other than the veteran big man, especially with them being up against the team with the best record in the entire league. So, who’ll be joining the Process on the sidelines tonight?

The Thunder vs the 76ers injury reports for December 28th

Here’s the latest update on both the rosters ahead of tonight’s heavyweight clash:

Philadelphia 76ers injury report

The Sixers’ injury troubles don’t end with Joel Embiid, as superstar forward Paul George is also questionable for this game. The veteran guard could miss tonight’s game because of his left knee injury management. Meanwhile, Trendon Watford and Kelly Oubre Jr. have also been ruled out of this game.

While Watford is dealing with an adductor injury, Oubre Jr. will not play because of a knee injury. Both these will be huge absences, but not as big as Embiid or George’s, despite the latter not being at his very best this season. While that settles the score for the Sixers, what about their opponents tonight? Are they hard hit with injuries?

Oklahoma City Thunder injury report

Just like the 76ers, injuries have also been a constant for the Thunder, and tonight’s will also be the same. Starting with Jaylin Williams and Ousmane Dieng, both of whom will be out of action tonight. While Williams is suffering from a heel injury, Dieng will not play in tonight’s game because of a calf injury.

Nikola Topic and Thomas Sorber will be joining these two stars on the sidelines for OKC, as they have also been ruled out because of injuries. Sorber, the young center, won’t suit up tonight because of an ACL injury. Meanwhile, Topic has unfortunately been diagnosed with testicular cancer and is undergoing treatment for the same. So, does that mean we’ll see a new lineup tonight?

Predicted lineups for the Thunder vs the 76ers

Here’s how the Philadelphia 76ers could start without Joel Embiid:

And here’s how the Oklahoma City Thunder’s starting lineup could look:

So, this is how both teams’ starting lineups could look, and after seeing this, we’ve come to realize one thing– this is going to be an uphill battle for the Sixers. More so, because they won’t have their star center on the floor tonight. So, the Thunder should be able to come home with a win tonight despite their poor recent form. However, in the NBA, you never know what could happen, as we await tip-off.