Philadelphia 76ers Injury Report (Nov 22): Latest update on Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey’s status

The Philadelphia 76ers visit the Target Center in Minneapolis to take on the red-hot Minnesota Timberwolves tonight. The two teams are dominating on both ends of the floor and the fans are in for a treat. We can expect a scintillating matchup between the two teams as the guard-center duo of Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid go head-to-head with Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns.

The Sixers have a 10-4 record and are third in the Eastern Conference, however, they are going through a rough stretch as they have lost three of their last five games. Two of the losses were in the NBA In-Season Tournament against the Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Philadelphia 76ers are entering this game with a largely clean bill of health. Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey are healthy and ready to lace up.

The only player absent from the lineup is Kelly Oubre Jr., who is recovering from a car accident. He suffered from fractured ribs, lacerations and several bruises in the accident but is progressing well. As per the team's staff, he participated in individual on-court workouts and will be re-evaluated in a week. The exact return timeline is still unknown, though.

The Minnesota Timberwolves, on the other hand, are dealing with a few key players being out. Jaden McDaniels, Jaylen Clark and Jordan McLaughlin are all out due to ankle, Achilles and knee injuries, respectively. McDaniels and Clark are expected to miss several weeks.

Philadelphia 76ers might not qualify for the NBA In-Season Tournament knockout rounds

Cleveland Cavaliers' Jarrett Allen tries to dunk against Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid

The Philadelphia 76ers are coming off a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers despite Joel Embiid's Herculean efforts. He dropped 32 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, two steals and five blocks while Tyrese Maxey contributed with 30 points and six assists, but it wasn't enough to overcome the motivated Cavaliers.

The loss stings more than usual because the Cavs were without Donovan Mitchell and Caris LeVert, but still pulled away with a win at the Sixers' home at the Wells Fargo Center.

To exacerbate matters, the Sixers are now 2-2 in the East Group A of the NBA In-Season Tournament. They are now third in the group behind the Indiana Pacers and Cavaliers. The Pacers have solidified their spot as the group leader and earned an invitation to play in Las Vegas.

The only way the Sixers end up in the quarter-finals of the In-Season Tournament is if Cleveland loses to Atlanta in the final group-stage game on Tuesday (Nov. 28).

The Philadelphia 76ers cannot play any more games to improve their fate, they can only hope for others to lose. To enter as the Wild Card team from the East, they need to hope that Miami, Brooklyn, Cleveland, Orlando and New York all lose their games.

Hence, it is more likely to say that their loss against the Cavaliers might have effectively ended their NBA In-Season Tournament campaign.