Philadelphia 76ers Injury Report (Nov 21): Latest update on Joel Embiid and Nicolas’ Batum status
The Philadelphia 76ers are second in the NBA Eastern Conference standings, thanks to Joel Embiid getting into MVP form early in the season. The team is now on back-to-back wins and will aim to get into another winning streak once they face the Cleveland Cavaliers on November 21 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
This battle between the Sixers and Cavs will be held inside the halls of the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
During the Sixers' most recent win against the Brooklyn Nets, Joel Embiid missed a triple-double night doing 32 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists. Tyrese Maxey continues to be the team's best guard, doing 25 points and 10 assists.
The good news is that both Emiid and Maxey are cleared to go and will be expected to suit up against the Cavs. There is only one player in the Sixers injury list, and that is Kelly Oubre Jr. who had a freak accident. He is expected to join the Sixers roster soon as his bruised ribs heal up. This means Nicolas Batum is also cleared to play.
Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse lauds Joel Embiid's unselfishness
The Philadelphia 76ers were able to dominate the Brooklyn Nets by 22 points in their most recent game, and Joel Embiid having nine assists is one of those rare nights that the Cameroonian center gets to that assist mark.
His unselfishness to spot the open man while attracting double teams has been a huge key for the Sixers' dominance of the Nets, according to Coach Nick Nurse.
"Teams are defending him, and I've said it a bunch: He wants to deliver to the open guy," said Coach Nurse. "We're just going to keep trying to hit the open guy. That's offense in this league. When they send two (defenders) to your primary scorer, you've got to get things figured out and we're making some progress there."
Embiid, so far this season, has his career-high average in assists at 6.2 per game. Along with his improved passing game, he also provides the Sixers 31.9 points, 11.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks a night.
After this matchup with the Cavs, the Sixers are set to have a short two-game road trip out west, facing the Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder on November 22-25. They return to the Wells Fargo Center on November 27 to host the Los Angeles Lakers.