BOSTON — Joel Embiid will play for the 76ers in the season opener against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night at TD Garden.
As expected, Paul George, Trendon Watford, and Jared McCain will be sidelined.
The game will mark Embiid’s first regular-season contest since he faced the Brooklyn Nets in a 105-103 loss on Feb. 22. Embiid played in just 19 games last season before undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on April 11. It was his second surgery on the knee in 14 months and the third in nine years.
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Embiid played Friday in the final preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, and three steals in a little over 18 minutes. The 7-foot-2, 280-pounder then took part in practices on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday before being cleared to play.
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George is sidelined as he continues to recover from left knee surgery. Watford will miss the game with left hamstring tightness, while McCain is out as he recovers from right thumb surgery.
Boston’s Jaylen Brown is questionable with a strained left hamstring and Jayson Tatum is expected to miss the season after suffering a torn right Achilles tendon during the playoffs.
