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Joel Embiid helped lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 109-104 win over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night with an impressive stat line of 23 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, and two blocks. As solid as his game was, it was something he said after the game that caught our attention.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Embiid indicated that he plans to play both ends of this weekend’s upcoming back-to-back. The Sixers are slated to host the San Antonio Spurs on Friday and old friend Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat on Saturday. Typically, the Sixers have targeted back-to-backs for Embiid’s load management program, so it would certainly be noteworthy if he were to play in both games.
Joel Embiid says he will be playing both games of this weekend’s back to back
— Paul Hudrick (@PaulHudrick) November 21, 2019
It makes sense that Embiid would want to play against his former teammate in Butler and the Heat are currently ahead of the Sixers in the standings.
However, the team is entering a busy stretch, with seven games in the next 12 days, including another back-to-back the following weekend, so it’s somewhat curious that the Sixers wouldn’t want to get Embiid some rest.
For now, it appears we’ll be seeing the big man in both games this weekend. Whether that is prudent or not is up for debate, but it’s encouraging that the team is confident enough in his health to allow him to do so.