NBA Player News

Embiid (face) ended Friday's 108-98 victory over Charlotte with 34 points (12-24 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 8-9 FT), nine assists, five rebounds, two blocks and two steals in 31 minutes. Head coach Nick Nurse said after the game that Embiid won't play Saturday against the Cavaliers for rest purposes, according to Austin Krell of USA Today.

After suffering a sinus fracture in the 76ers' Dec. 13 loss to the Pacers, Embiid wasn't expected to be re-evaluated for a week, but he missed just one game before practicing Thursday and being cleared to play Friday. He donned a protective mask in his return to the lineup but didn't display any signs of being limited, as he rolled to an efficient scoring night while establishing new season highs in assist and steals. The 76ers are likely to continue holding Embiid out of one half of back-to-back sets to manage his left knee throughout the season, so the star center's expected absence for Saturday comes as little surprise. Andre Drummond and Guerschon Yabusele are likely to cover most of the minutes at center Saturday, though the 76ers could also make room in the rotation for Adem Bona as the backup center if Yabusele is needed to play some power forward. Look for Embiid to return to action Monday against the Spurs.

Adebayo (laceration) has returned to Friday's game against the Thunder, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Adebayo was elbowed in the face early in the third quarter, which caused a cut above his left eye. He went back to the locker room to get stitches and has returned to Friday's game.

Adebayo (face) went back to the locker room early in the third quarter of Friday's game against the Thunder, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Adebayo took an elbow to the head early in the second half and went back to the locker room to get stitches for a cut above his left eye and is expected to return. Jaime Jaquez, Kevin Love and Kel'el Ware should see an increase in playing time for as long as Adebayo is sidelined.

Bol is listed as questionable for Saturday's game against the Pistons with a left knee contusion, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic reports.

Bol has been a healthy scratch for each of the Suns' last three games, so if he were to be sidelined Saturday, it wouldn't impact Phoenix's rotation that much. He's appeared in seven regular-season games and averaged 3.3 points and 1.6 rebounds over 5.3 minutes per contest.

Davis (elbow) is listed as questionable for Saturday's game against the Kings, Jovan Buha of The Athletic reports.

Davis briefly left Thursday's game against Sacramento with what was initially reported as a left shoulder injury. He managed to return and finished with 21 points, 20 rebounds, four assists, six blocks and three steals over 35 minutes in the win. Davis has now been diagnosed with a left elbow contusion, and while he's iffy to play Saturday, his ability to return to Thursday's game indicates that the injury isn't severe enough for him to be ruled out. Since and including Dec. 1, Davis has averaged 25.6 points, 12.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.4 blocks and 1.4 steals over 35.1 minutes per game.

Theis (personal) is listed as questionable for Saturday's game against the Knicks.

Theis did not play against the Rockets on Thursday while attending to a personal matter. Trey Jemison and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl would be slated to see increased minutes off the bench behind starting center Yves Missi if Theis is unable to play Saturday.

Drummond isn't in the starting five for Friday's game versus the 76ers, Austin Krell of USA Today reports.

Joel Embiid will replace Drummond in the starting lineup Friday after missing Philadelphia's previous outing due to a sinus fracture. Drummond is averaging 7.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 14.8 minutes across his last five appearances coming off the bench.

Richards is in the Hornets' starting lineup against the 76ers on Friday.

After coming off the bench in the Hornets' last three games, Richards will move into the starting lineup Friday due to Mark Williams being sidelined with a left foot injury. Across eight starts this season, Richards has averaged 11.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.8 blocks over 26.9 minutes per game.

Embiid (sinus fracture) is available to play Friday against the Hornets, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Embiid was expected to be sidelined over the weekend due to a sinus fracture he suffered against the Pacers on Dec. 13. He missed this past Monday's game against the Hornets, but he will take the floor for Friday's rematch. Embiid has appeared in just six regular-season games and is averaging 20.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.0 blocks over 29.3 minutes per game.

Tillman (illness) is not listed on the injury report for Saturday's game against the Bulls, Taylor Snow of the Celtics' official site reports.

Tillman missed Thursday's 117-108 loss to the Bulls with a non-COVID illness, but the big man should be ready to go for Saturday. He'll add some much-needed depth in the frontcourt, but he shouldn't see a lot of minutes if both Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis are available.