8-2! The Philadelphia 76ers have held the advantage over the last 10 instances when they have gone up against the Orlando Magic. That too, by a wide margin! However, the same numbers have been far from being secured when it came to facing other teams this season. Injury woes and lapses by the squad have limited their win record to 5-14 this season. For the 76ers to make a noticeable mark, they now have to make each win count. And what better odds for the team to have than to go up against one whom they have defeated in 8 of the last 10 games? Even if that isn’t enough, the 76ers can rest a bit easy upon learning that one key player will continue being a part of the main lineup.

According to the Philadelphia 76ers injury report, Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond are the only players listed as ‘OUT’. This means that Paul George will take on the Magic. This will mark his third consecutive appearance after he recently took another injury break.

Additionally, Tyrese Maxey’s days of suffering from his right hamstring strain also seem to be behind him, as the player will make his sixth consecutive appearance after getting sidelined.

While not as frequent as Joel Embiid, injuries had plagued Paul George over the course of the ongoing season too. After his hyperextended knee kept him benched for a few games, George then sustained a left knee bone bruise. As a result of the ailments, the 76ers’ newest acquisition was only present in 10 of his team’s 19 games. Fortunately, Pandemic P’s troubles are behind him, for now, and he is present to take on the Orlando Magic in the next few hours.

Speaking of the Orlando Magic, the franchise won’t gain any advantage with Joel Embiid’s absence. After all, they have their lead scorer sidelined too! Paolo Banchero, who continues to recover from his right torn oblique, will miss his 19th consecutive game! The recently turned 22-year-old sustained the injury during the 4 quarter of the Magic-Bulls matchup held in late October.

Gary Harris, who had missed his team’s last 2 games due to a hamstring injury, will also not be present. Furthermore, Goga Bitadze remains questionable due to a sprained right ankle. At the same time, Trevlin Queen’s G-League obligations, due to his Two-Way contract, put his status on a ‘Day-To-Day’ basis.

With these injury updates, both teams will have to play with their adjusted starting lineups for the upcoming matchup.

What will the starting lineup and depth chart for the 76ers-Magic clash look like?

According to RotoWire, the continued absence of Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond means that Guerschon Yabusele, KJ Martin, and Adem Bona will continue receiving an increase in their on-court minutes. Fortunately, the backup Center for the 76ers, Yabusele has been making an effort on the offensive effort. Over the course of 19 games, he has started in 6 and averaged 9.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. While it can’t match Embiid’s averages, it can help a bit in taking the offensive pressure off of Paul George’s shoulders.

Given this, we can expect the starting lineup for the Philadelphia 76ers to look something like this:

Similarly, looking at the updates for the Orlando Magic, analysts expect the franchise’s starting lineup to look something like this:

The Philadelphia 76ers or the Orlando Magic? Who will you be rooting for during the upcoming matchup? Let us know in the comments down below.