Joel Embiid expected to miss Cavs vs. 76ers Saturday

Embiid will likely miss his fifth straight game against the Cavs.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will be coming out of their NBA Cup bye week soon. They will have three days off after Monday’s matchup with the Brooklyn Nets before things pick back up. That starts with a back-to-back against the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers.

It helps the Cavs that the Bucks have advanced to the final game of the NBA Cup. It will be difficult, no matter the outcome of Tuesday’s game, to turn around and be ready for a well-rested Cavs team in Cleveland.

The second game of that back-to-back is against the 76ers, who will also play their second game in as many nights. That game is also looking like one the Cavs will have an advantage in.

Philadelphia will be without standout rookie Jared McCain, who will be out indefinitely, and Joel Embiid who will be reevaluated in a week with a sinus fracture. The timetable for Embiid’s injury would have him missing Philadelphia’s game in Cleveland. He was initially injured in Friday’s loss to the Indiana Pacers.

Saturday’s absence will be the fifth straight time the Cavs will have played the Sixers without Embiid. They’re 2-2 in those meetings but have won the two most recent matchups which includes a 114-106 win a month ago.

This has been a nightmare season for Philadelphia. They haven’t been able to have their three best players on the floor often. as they’ve registered less than 100 possessions together so far this season. This has led to their abysmal 7-16 record.

The current schedule is setting up nicely for the Cavs. The Nets are shorthanded, the Bucks will be coming off of an NBA Cup championship game, the Sixers will be without their best player, and then they play the Utah Jazz who have been one of the worst teams in the league. The Cavs have a four-game Western Conference road trip afterward. You’d like to see them bank a couple of wins before heading out for that.