The Brooklyn Nets could be facing a shorthanded Philadelphia 76ers who have Al Horford and Joel Embiid listed on the injury report.
According to the NBA’s 1:30 p.m. injury report, the Philadelphia 76ers could be without their two best big men against the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday (6 p.m. ET). Joel Embiid is listed as doubtful (upper respiratory illness) while Al Horford is questionable (left knee soreness; left hamstring tightness).
The banged-up Horford has missed the last two games although his absence hasn’t slowed the Sixers down. Philly is one of the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference right now, winning five in a row and nine of their last 10.
Even if Horford and Embiid are both unavailable, the Sixers are still a formidable roster. Ben Simmons is a matchup nightmare on offense and a versatile, switchable defender. Tobias Harris was long thought to be a natural fit in Brooklyn, but he ended up signing a long-term deal with the Sixers this past summer. Harris is coming off of a 31-point outburst against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.
To make matters worse for Brooklyn, Sunday’s game will come on the second night of a back-to-back. The Nets fell to the Raptors in Toronto on Saturday night and are suddenly in danger of a three-game losing streak. Not so long ago—last Sunday to be exact—these scrappy Nets knocked off Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets for their best win of the season.
Brooklyn is still waiting for reinforcements in the form of Kyrie Irving and Caris LeVert. The two dynamic guards have missed 14 and 16 games, respectively, but both are making progress towards their returns.
