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Joel Embiid will be back on the court on Tuesday after being sidelined for a month with knee and foot injuries.
Per NBA insider Chris Haynes, the Philadelphia 76ers star will play against the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday. PHLY Sports’ Kyle Neubeck added that head coach Nick Nurse said there will be “no hard restriction” on Embiid’s minutes against the Mavs, but he expects him to play around 30 minutes.
Embiid played just 39 games a season ago and has had even more injury woes this year, suiting up for just 13 of the 76ers’ 48 games. He’s been a solid contributor when on the court, averaging 24.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, but that production has done little for Philadelphia with all of his missed time.
Embiid is just two years removed from his MVP season in which he put up 33.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. He was phenomenal in his limited action last year, logging 34.7 points and 11 boards per game.
Embiid isn’t the only star who has missed significant time for Philadelphia, as Paul George has also been off the court for much of the season. The 76ers lost standout rookie Jared McCain in December due to a season-ending knee injury.
With Embiid missing so much time, the 76ers have leaned on Tyrese Maxey amid what has been a career year for the fifth-year point guard.
Philadelphia will need Maxey to continue playing at a high level if it wants to get back into the playoff race. The Sixers are currently 19-29, sitting in 11th place in the Eastern Conference.
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