After playing him for three straight games after showing signs of an injured back, the Philadelphia 76ers will enforce a “planned rest” for center Joel Embiid for Saturday's game against the Denver Nuggets, according to Serena Winters of NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Embiid trotted out three straight 30-point performances during that stretch, including a 33-point, 19-rebound effort against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.

While the big man was seen moving around fairly well in pre-game warmups and during the game, there were signs of lingering soreness in his movement, a testament to his toughness and desire to play. Head coach Brett Brown said his staff had been targeting this game to rest Embiid, and that the rest is not necessarily connected to his back injury.

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The Sixers will also be without star forward Jimmy Butler, forcing Ben Simmons to make the most of his supporting cast to take on the second-seeded Nuggets on Saturday.

Philadelphia has won five of their last six games and is now creeping closer to the Indiana Pacers, who will likely have a tough time retaining their third seed in the East after star Victor Oladipo was ruled out for the rest of the season.

Embiid has been perhaps the most vital cog in Brown's rotation, putting up 27.2 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game in his third season in the league.