76ers star Embiid to sit out of Wednesday’s game vs. Kings originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Editor’s note: This article originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
The Kings won’t have to worry about Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid in their first game of 2025.
The Sixers listed Embiid as out for their Wednesday night matchup with the Kings at Golden 1 Center with a simple designation of “rest.” The game is the first leg of a Philadelphia back-to-back that finishes Thursday against the Golden State Warriors.
Embiid has worn a protective mask since returning from a sinus fracture on Dec. 20. He scored a season-high 37 points Monday in the Sixers’ win over the Trail Blazers and has totaled 96 over his last three games on just 57 field goal attempts.
The 13-17 Sixers will go for a fifth consecutive win in Sacramento. The 14-19 Kings will look to win their second game under interim head coach Doug Christie.
Jared McCain (left lateral meniscus surgery) and KJ Martin (left foot stress reaction) will remain out for the Sixers. Veterans Andre Drummond (left toe sprain), Eric Gordon (oral surgery) and Kyle Lowry (right hip soreness) all were listed as questionable.
Especially if Drummond is out, rookie Adem Bona would be a natural candidate to step into the Sixers’ rotation, which only included eight players against the Blazers.
Guerschon Yabusele has been excellent lately as the Sixers’ backup center, averaging 14.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals during the team’s four-game winning streak. He’s shot 20 of 33 (60.6 percent) from the floor and 9 of 17 (52.9 percent) from three-point range.