The 76ers are proceeding with caution on Joel Embiid, who will miss at least the next two games.
The rookie center suffered a left knee contusion Friday in the team's 93-92 victory over Portland. The Sixers will play host to the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday and travel to Milwaukee on Wednesday.
"We're going to be without him tomorrow and in Milwaukee and we will go from there," Sixers coach Brett Brown said Monday after Embiid sat out practice.
Embiid received treatment on the knee and was evaluated over the weekend. He was launching some long jumpers after practice but was not available for comment.
Embiid did not play Saturday in a 110-93 loss in Atlanta, but he wasn't scheduled to anyway because it was the second game of a back-to-back. After missing the previous two seasons following foot surgeries, Embiid has not played in back-to-back games all season.
His status for Friday's home game against the Houston Rockets was not known.
Brown was asked if this injury was a problem or if the team was taking a precautionary measure. "Precautionary," he said immediately.
Embiid's replacement is expected to be Jahlil Okafor, who did not participate in the five-on-five, full-court portion of Monday's practice because of right knee soreness. Okafor is listed as probable for the Clippers game.
"My knee was feeling a little bit sore," Okafor said after practice. "As always, being cautious. We have a back-to-back coming up, so I was trying to rest my knee because it was giving me a little issue."
Okafor played 29 minutes, 49 seconds Saturday, totaling 12 points and four rebounds.
"It was bothering me a little bit in the warm-up lines _ I started to feel it," Okafor said about the game. "But when I got going, it started feeling really good. Then when I sat out for an extended period, it got kind of sore on me again. It was bothering me just a little bit."
The Sixers (15-27) are 2-10 when Embiid does not play. They are 13-17 in games he has started and entered Monday 5 { games out of the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot.
Embiid is averaging 19.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots in just 25.3 minutes per game. He is a candidate to earn a spot on the Eastern Conference All-Star team as a reserve. The seven spots, selected by the conference coaches, will be announced Thursday.
He was named Eastern Conference player of the week Monday. Embiid appeared in three of the Sixers' four games last week and averaged 22 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 3.67 blocked shots in three wins.
Embiid had 22 points 12 rebounds, and five blocks in a 113-104 win at Milwaukee. He had 26 points and nine rebounds in a 94-89 victory over visiting Toronto and finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks in Friday's win against Portland.
San Antonio's Kawhi Leonard was named the Western Conference player of the week.
Brown conceded that it's always tough to compete without Embiid, but he said the team should take a positive out of his absence. That would mean that Okafor, if available, and Nerlens Noel will have bigger roles.
"It definitely hurts the team _ how can we spin it any other way?" Brown said. "But like anything, you are going to now look at Nerlens and Jahlil and this is fantastic for those two and ... (center) Richaun (Holmes) sees daylight a little bit."
