The Philadelphia 76ers are in a tough spot. They suffered a crushing 32-point home loss to the Chicago Bulls on Monday night and could be in for some more embarrassing losses if their star big man’s nagging knee injury persists. Joel Embiid didn’t play on Monday and Philadelphia is deciding what the best course of action is for the former MVP. It appears like team brass is leaning toward shutting Embiid down for the season so he can undergo left knee surgery and come healthier for 2025-26. That would change Philadelphia’s 2024-25 outlook significantly.
BetMGM isn’t listing the 76ers’ odds to make the playoffs currently, but their odds to make the play-in tournament are +140. They rank 12th in the Eastern Conference standings with a 20-37 record. The 10th-place Bulls (23-35) are two and a half games ahead of Philadelphia and the Brooklyn Nets (21-36) are right behind them. Do the 76ers have enough juice to catch up?
Philadelphia is 12-26 without Embiid this season. According to Tankathon, they have the 26th most difficult remaining schedule. However, they’ll only secure seven or eight more wins in their final 25 games if they keep winning at the same rate without Embiid this season. That likely won’t be enough to reach the top 10.
Embiid’s status moving forward is still pending, but bettors should lean toward betting on the 76ers to miss the play-in when books make the option available. Embiid will likely be hobbled if the 76ers do limp toward playoff contention. Wasting his health for a first-round out against the Cleveland Cavaliers or Boston Celtics won’t be worth it.
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