Philly’s Joel Embiid remains unavailable as he works his way back from personal matters and a lingering left knee injury. While his return process has begun, he’s still sidelined, missing his sixth straight game on Wednesday against the Orlando Magic. For the first three absences, Embiid was listed under left knee injury management. The next two games included “personal reasons” in the injury report, which was later removed…

Meanwhile, Paul George, who just returned from a left knee bone bruise, will also sit out Wednesday’s back-to-back game against Orlando. On Tuesday, George shined in Charlotte, putting up 29 points, eight assists, and two steals over a season-high 37 minutes during the Sixers’ win against the Hornets.

Philly boss Nick Nurse has an update on the much-talked-about Joel Embiid. When asked whether he’ll play Friday night, “I mean think there’s a chance, I mean I think that I can’t sit up here and like guess at all or anything or give you a percentage but again he works out today and go again tomorrow and see how he feels tomorrow.” replies the 57-year-old coach.

Notably, the team doesn’t plan to sideline Joel Embiid (knee) any longer than absolutely necessary. When asked if they wanted to keep him out for a couple of weeks, Coach Nurse replied, “Yeah no, I don’t think so no yeah. It’s still trying to get him on.” The former MVP was also looking good at practice today, so it looks like he could return to action on Friday.

If he eventually does, it’ll be just the second time this season that Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey share the floor. Bear in mind that the 76ers have already played 19 games. Surprisingly, the trio has logged a mere six minutes together through the first quarter of the season!

The 76ers need Joel Embiid and Paul George if they want to win

Let’s speak about their upcoming opponents first. Orlando has been on a roll this season, boasting a 15-8 record and winning 12 of their last 13 games, including a six-game streak. However, their momentum hit a brick wall on Tuesday when the Knicks handed them a lopsided loss. Down by over 30 points in the second half, the Magic staged a late comeback to cut the gap to 15—a move that helped preserve their point differential and lock in a spot in the NBA Cup quarterfinals.

Philly, on the other hand, is sitting at a dismal 5-14. The Sixers have just managed to string together their first back-to-back wins of the season, but the struggles don’t end there. With Embiid and George out again on Wednesday, Maxey is left to keep the ship afloat.

The Sixers are struggling, sitting near the bottom of the East and barely staying ahead of the Wizards, who haven’t won a game since October, making their season feel like a never-ending Halloween nightmare. Philadelphia ranks 26th in point differential, losing by an average of 6.3 points per game…

Injuries have been their kryptonite, with Embiid, George, and Maxey missing a combined 26 games. Young gun, Jared McCain, has been a bright spot, drawing early Rookie of the Year buzz, but even his contributions can’t fix an offense that often sputters.

Back in November, the Sixers managed just 86 points against Orlando when Embiid and George played without Maxey. There’s still time for a comeback with 3-quarters of the season left, but unless their stars stay on the court, this could turn into a season Philly fans would rather forget. Thoughts?