Miami (AP) — Due to a sprained right ankle, Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid, the reigning NBA MVP, will not play against the Miami Heat on Christmas night.
Jimmy Butler, his former 76ers teammate, is also out for the Heat due to a strained calf.
Embiid was not on the Sixers’ Sunday flight to Miami. He was hurt during the Toronto victory on Friday.
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The 76ers, who are currently third in the Eastern Conference and fourth overall in the NBA with a 20-8 record going into Monday, will be missing Embiid’s fourth game of the season. In his nine games this month, he has averaged 40.2 points and 12.6 rebounds on 61% shooting. He has been extremely productive in December.
With a league-best average of 35 points per game this season, Embiid is currently on track to win the scoring title for the third time in a row. In his last 13 games, he has averaged at least 30 points and 10 rebounds, which is the NBA record for the longest run since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar accomplished it in 16 straight games in 1972.
Midway through the first quarter, Embiid injured his ankle trying to block a shot. He missed the majority of Friday’s game against the Raptors. At that point, he was scoreless. By halftime, he had 11 points, and in the second half, he scored 20 more.
After assessing Embiid’s condition over the weekend, the team decided it wouldn’t be a good idea to have him play on Monday. He might be able to make a comeback for the team’s Wednesday trip to Orlando.
With a calf strain, Butler had missed Miami’s previous two games. Despite being listed as questionable for the nationally televised game against the 76ers, Butler did not practice on Sunday. It was Monday afternoon when he was downgraded to out.
Due to Embiid’s injury, the Heat-76ers game is the only one on the NBA’s Christmas quintuple header schedule without an MVP winner. Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks played in the Milwaukee-New York game; Nikola Jokic of the Nuggets and Stephen Curry of the Warriors played in the Denver-Golden State game; four-time MVP LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers played against Boston; and Suns forward Kevin Durant played in the Phoenix-Dallas nightcap.
Josh Richardson was also ruled out by the Heat due to lower back discomfort, and Haywood Highsmith was ruled out due to a non-COVID illness. Richardson and Highsmith were also former members of the 76ers, just like Butler. Miami’s next game is a Thursday away at Golden State, following Monday.
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