The Philadelphia 76ers cruised to a 116-91 win over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday to begin a four-game road trip. They led by as many as 31 on a night when they had 30 assists on 39 field goals.
The big question after this win was the status of Joel Embiid. The big fella played 16 minutes and had 12 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, but he didn’t play in the second half.
NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Kate Scott reported on the broadcast that a team official told her it was due to the Sixers leading by so much. Toward the end of the game, The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey reported Embiid was actually dealing with mild right calf tightness. The team expects him to play on Friday against the Golden State Warriors.
“Not much,” coach Doc Rivers told reporters about any concern he has. “Not at all, really. I think he’ll be ready for the next game. We just took precaution. We had a lead. We felt like we could hold it, and whenever you hear calf you just say that’s it.”
Embiid – mild right calf tightness – expected to play Friday
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) March 23, 2023
The Sixers head out west; a matchup with the defending champion Golden State Warriors looms on Friday in The Bay. Therefore, Rivers and the Sixers didn’t want to push Embiid in a game that they had in the bag before hopping on a plane and heading to San Francisco.
“I think he’s just fine,” Rivers added. “It was very mild and we’re on a road trip. About to go west on a long flight. We just thought it was the right thing to do. The flight, four hours in the air makes you tighter, so we just felt like it’s the right thing to do.”
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