The Toronto Raptors are facing off against the Philadelphia 76ers, who are headlined by All-Stars Paul George and Joel Embiid.
Both players have dealt with knee injuries during the season and it will plague them again when the 76ers host the Raptors. Both Embiid and George are out for the Sixers.
Sixers will play without Embiid, George
George made his season debut for the 76ers in their last game against his former team in the Los Angeles Clippers just two days ago. In 21 minutes, George scored nine points and grabbed seven rebounds as the Sixers won by two points.
It’s clear that the 76ers value George’s health and appear to be keeping him out of the lineup as a precaution. The Raptors should be able to take advantage of that.
As for Embiid, he has only played in six games this season and has missed the team’s last four games. His last appearance came against the Raptors on Nov. 8, where he scored 29 points in a big 130-120 win.
The Raptors didn’t have many answers for Embiid that night, so him not playing in the rematch is a great sign for Toronto.
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid controls the ball against Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Sixers injury woes continue
The Sixers don’t just have George and Embiid out. The team will also be missing Kelly Oubre Jr. (knee) and backup centre Adem Bona (ankle sprain).
Oubre has 12 starts under his belt this season, including a 19-point performance against the Raptors in their last meeting. This means the 76ers will be down two starters from when they last played the Raptors, which is something Toronto needs to exploit.
Having both Embiid and Bona out means the Sixers will rely on veteran Andre Drummond to be the main centre in action.
Raptors also have an injury
The Raptors injury report is a bit cleaner than the 76ers and it comes with good news and bad news.
The good news is Ochai Agbaji has been upgraded to probable with a back strain after missing the last four games. He has struggled this season averaging just 1.8 points per game, but the Raptors could benefit from the depth, especially with another player hitting the sidelines.
The bad news comes in the form of Collin Murray-Boyles, who is doubtful to play with an MCL sprain. This could keep CMB out of the lineup for much longer than the game against the Sixers, so it’s something to monitor moving forward.
