The Philadelphia 76ers recently lost an in-season tournament game in overtime to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night and now face a tough task of having to play one of the league's best defensive teams in the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night. To make matters even worse for the Sixers, they will be without reigning league MVP Joel Embiid due to left hip soreness, first reported by The Athletic's Shams Charania.

Embiid played a total of 41 minutes against Cleveland on Tuesday night, registering 32 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, and five blocks. The superstar big man ended up fouling out of the game with just over nine seconds left in overtime.

Once again, Embiid has been a dominant force for the Sixers, leading them to a 10-4 record to this point in the season, just one game behind the Boston Celtics for the best record in the Eastern Conference. Wednesday night's game against the Timberwolves will be Embiid's first absence during the 2023-24 season.

In a total of 14 games, Embiid has averaged 31.9 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game while shooting 49.7 percent from the floor. The 76ers big man currently leads the league in scoring and is sixth in rebounding behind the likes of Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic, Sacramento Kings' Domantas Sabonis, Los Angeles Lakers'  Anthony Davis, Timberwolves' Rudy Gobert, and New York Knicks' Mitchell Robinson.

With Embiid out of the lineup, the Sixers will be severely undersized against a bigger, longer Timberwolves team that has punished smaller opponents this season. Karl-Anthony Towns and Gobert occupy Minnesota's frontcourt, which means Philadelphia will place a heavy burden on Paul Reed's back. Robert Covington and Nicolas Batum will also see their roles increase at the center position with Embiid ruled out.

As far as scoring goes, Tyrese Maxey will be the featured player for the Sixers on Wednesday night. Maxey, who recently earned his first Eastern Conference Player of the Week honor, has been sensational this year. Since the start of November, Maxey is averaging 26.1 points per game while shooting 38.6 percent from three-point range. He recently recorded 30 points in the 76ers' overtime loss on Tuesday.

Following Wednesday's game in Minnesota, Embiid's next chance to play will be on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday.