Injuries loom again as Sixers ride two-game winning streak into meeting with Lakers

Things looked to be heading in the right direction for a change for the Philadelphia 76ers. They swept a back-to-back over the weekend, earning a shocking victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers and emerging victorious in what looked like a schedule loss against the Chicago Bulls. The Sixers now sit just 1.5 games back of Chicago for the final Play-In spot. The Bulls have one hand firmly on their tanking ripcord ready to pull, shopping both Nikola Vucevic and Zach LaVine in earnest. So despite everything that has happened over the first half of the season (and there has been a lot), the Sixers’ postseason aspirations remain fully possible. Thank goodness for the (L)Eastern Conference! And if you’re still Team Tank, I really need you to take a hard look at what teams like the Wizards and Hornets are trotting out there on a nightly basis.

Of course, we all know the Sixers can’t purely have nice things, so a counterbalance to the force was provided in the wake of these good tidings. Despite his doing handstands at practice, the Sixers announced yesterday that Joel Embiid would remain out for at least tonight’s game and tomorrow against Sacramento. In more carefree times, we would have all had a good laugh at that situation, but we’ve been skirting the edge of the darkest timeline for a whie.

While the Embiid situation is sadly nothing new, a fresh development is Paul George sitting out after injuring his pinky on Saturday. With both veteran stars sidelined, stay tuned for another exciting episode of Maxey and Friends, which can occasionally be fun but has often turned this year into Tyrese constantly barking at the refs under the pressure of carrying too large a burden. Andre Drummond (toe), Caleb Martin (hip), KJ Martin (foot), and Jared McCain (knee) are also out, while Guerschon Yabusele is probable (knee) to round out the injury report.

Tonight, they’ll be up against the Los Angeles Lakers, who won the first meeting between these two clubs back in the City of Angels in early November, 116-106. The Lakers won last night in Charlotte, 112-107, so the Sixers will at least have the advantage of playing an opponent on the second night of a back-to-back. We’ll see if Anthony Davis especially is tired after going HAM against the Hornets to the tune of 42 points and 23 rebounds.

Davis and LeBron James both played through probable designations yesterday, and with tonight being a nationally-televised game, I’d expect they’ll be out there again as we await an official injury report from the Lakers. Rui Hachimura (calf), Gabe Vincent (knee), Christian Wood (knee), and Jalen Hood-Schifino (hamstring) were all out against Charlotte, with Hachimura and Vincent closer to returning. Forward Jarred Vanderbilt made his way back to the court over the weekend after missing nearly 12 months following foot surgeries. He also played last night against Charlotte, so we’ll if he’s playing back-to-backs yet.

The Sixers are currently 4.5-point underdogs at home, per FanDuel. Tonight is the first of six straight home games for the Sixers. We’ll see if they can continue their strong play from over the weekend.

Game details

When: Tuesday, January 28, 7:30pm ET
Where: The Center, Philadelphia, PA
Watch: TNT, Max
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow: @LibertyBallers