A blizzard is coming to the Delaware Valley. Fitting since the Sixers’ season feels like it could be snowballing.
After the team suffered an embarrassing loss to the lowly New Orleans Pelicans Saturday, they’ll travel to Minnesota (because that travel schedule makes sense) to take on the Timberwolves Sunday night — and they’ll do so without Joel Embiid.
Embiid missed the two games before the All-Star break and the two after. The Sixers dropped all four and will have to go up against a tough Timberwolves team without him. They’re 1-9 in their last 10 games without Embiid. After only missing planned rest games in back-to-back situations throughout January, Embiid’s last four absences have been the result of shin soreness in his right leg.
At 30-26, the Sixers are in very real danger of slipping out of the sixth and final guaranteed playoff spot. The Miami Heat are only percentage points behind them in seventh. If Embiid continues to miss time — while Paul George continues to serve his suspension — things could ugly.
The other bit of bad news is that rookie Johni Broome has suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee. The team said there will be further evaluation to determine treatment. Broome, a second-round pick (35th overall) in the 2025 NBA Draft, has struggled to find a role with the big club. The 23-year-old, who starred at Auburn, has had success in the G League, recording a 50-point game with the Delaware Blue Coats last month.