Philadelphia 76ers Injury Report (Jan. 21): Latest on Joel Embiid and Paul George's status

The Philadelphia 76ers' struggles continue, and Joel Embiid and Paul George's injury-hit seasons further compound their woes. At 15-26 and 11th in the Eastern Conference, the Sixers are well out of playoff contention as the 2024-25 NBA season hits the halfway mark. Both stars continue to be listed in the injury report ahead of their away clash against the Denver Nuggets at the Ball Arena on Tuesday.

Embiid has been ruled out of the matchup with left knee swelling. His absence on Tuesday marks the ninth game in a row he will be missing. George has been listed as questionable with left groin soreness. The wing missed the last two games for the side and is now a doubtful starter against Denver.

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Former 76ers coach on Joel Embiid's injury struggles: "I’ve lived that life."

Former Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers was candid on Joel Embiid's injury struggles. He added that Nick Nurse's situation was what he found himself in during his time in Philly. (via Sixers Wire)

"You want him to be healthy. I’ve gone through it. It’s hard to win without your best player, or even when your best player plays and he’s not healthy. It’s just hard. I’ve lived that life. It took a minute. First year, we struggled with it. Then, after that, we won a lot of games without him, but it’s still not what you want. We kind of found our pace in the games without him, but it’s just hard, it really is, because we used him so heavily."

The latest injury setbacks push the 76ers further away from title aspirations. The big has played just 13 games this season and averages 24.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. It doesn't help that the team's secondary playmaker is on the bench while averaging 17.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 4.7 assists.

Embiid's two-way impact has been a notable miss for Philadelphia this season. The center is expected to return for Friday's game against the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. With losses to the Indiana Pacers and the Milwaukee Bucks, the Sixers are yet to hit the 20-win mark. Much depends on Joel Embiid and Paul George to get the side back into playoff contention in the second half of the season if they can recover to full health.