The Philadelphia 76ers’ lineup reportedly has gotten thinner.
Already without Ben Simmons due to a back injury, they were forced to play without center Joel Embiid on Thursday due to a sprained left shoulder, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
The big man suffered the injury Wednesday against Cleveland after a collision with Cavs center Ante Zizic. Charania reported that testing showed no major structural damage and that his progress will be symptom based. Embiid will be re-evaluated in one week.
Over that stretch, the 76ers will be without their star for the beginning of a West Coast road trip, where Philly faces the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers.
This is good news for the Boston Celtics, who sit in third in the competitive Eastern Conference. The 76ers are 14 games out of first place and five behind the Celtics, despite being one of the favorites to come out of the east at the beginning of the season.
Without Embiid, who dubbed himself the best player in the world last week, Philly will be lucky to hang on to fifth place.
