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Sixers big man Joel Embiid missed Tuesday morning's practice session due to an upset stomach, but it sounds like he'll be well enough to play against the Los Angles Lakers.
ESPN's Tim Bontemps shared the news about Embiid's status on Tuesday afternoon. Bontemps also noted that Jimmy Butler, who's been dealing with a sprained wrist, is also expected to suit up against the Lakers.
Joel Embiid didn’t participate in shootaround this AM because of an upset stomach. He’s expected to play tonight. Everyone else — including Jimmy Butler — participated fully.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) January 29, 2019
Embiid was held out of Saturday's matchup against the Denver Nuggets to rest his back. In his most recent outing — a 122-120 victory over the San Antonio Spurs last week — the former Kansas Jayhawk racked up 33 points and 19 rebounds.
“I told myself that I really needed to get going,” Embiid told ESPN after dispatching the Spurs. “For us to win, I had to show up. I did the best I could.”
The fact that Embiid will play against the Lakers is certainly good news for the Sixers, who are currently holding the No. 2 spot in the Atlantic Division standings with a 32-18 overall record.
In his 46 appearances with the Sixers this season (all starts), Embiid has posted averages of 27.2 points on 49.1 percent shooting from the field (30.9 percent from beyond the arc), 13.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 blocks in 33.5 minutes per outing.
Tuesday night's Sixers-Lakers game is scheduled to tip inside the STAPLES Center at 10:30 p.m. ET, with TNT having live broadcast coverage. According to ESPN, this will be the first meeting between the two teams since Dec. 7th, 2017, when Lakers forward Brandon Ingram made a 3-pointer in the final second for a 107-104 win, ending a five-game losing streak. The two sides will meet again on February 10th in Philly.
