Heading into their Tuesday night matchup against the Boston Celtics, the Philadelphia 76ers had doctors in the building to evaluate two of their stars, Paul George and Joel Embiid.
Before the game tipped off, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse made it clear that the team wouldn’t have an official update on both players until after the matchup.
Shortly after the Sixers squeezed by the Celtics with a 102-100 loss, the Sixers issued an official update on George.
“Paul George is in the final stage of his return to play plan involves the continued strengthening of his left quadricep, which will be managed through a strength and conditioning program and on-court basketball activities,” a team official said. “He will be re-evaluated later this week.”
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As for Joel Embiid, Nick Nurse confirmed that the star center had imaging done on Tuesday morning. Fortunately, there was no structural damage revealed for Embiid. According to Nurse, Embiid will be considered “day-to-day” moving forward.
Embiid’s setback is sudden. Although he’s been cautious since the start of the 2025-2026 season, he didn’t experience any setbacks through his first six appearances. His absences were a result of rest, which was part of his injury management plan.
Nurse stated that Embiid’s discomfort wasn’t the result of a single play. He reported soreness on Tuesday morning and underwent imaging to confirm that he wasn’t dealing with any setbacks. Embiid was ruled out for Tuesday’s action against the Celtics. Leading up to the matchup, Embiid has posted averages of 19.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists.
As for George, his concerns have been relevant since the offseason. Leading up to training camp, George revealed that he would not be ready to play right away. He missed the entire preseason and hasn’t made his debut just yet. Since his debut season with the Sixers, George has dealt with numerous setbacks.
Last year, George appeared in 41 games. He shot 35 percent from three, and averaged 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists.
The timeline for Embiid and George isn’t currently clear. The Sixers will be back on the court on Friday for NBA Cup action against the Detroit Pistons.
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