76ers Updates: Injury Report, Larry Nance Jr. bends the knee, NBA Cup elimination, tonight’s game against the Hornets

The Philadelphia 76ers conclude their NBA Cup group stage on Tuesday night as 4.5-point favorites against the Charlotte Hornets.

Unfortunately, the 76ers AND the Charlotte Hornets are already eliminated from Cup Contention and somehow, some way, they will have to find a way to continue through the regular season knowing there will be no winter parade in their respective cities.

On top of that, the 76ers really can’t afford to lose many games moving forward and tonight, they should be able to get a W in Charlotte.

I mean seriously, if Paul George, Tyrese Maxey, and Jared McCain can’t beat the Charlotte Hornets without LaMelo Ball then we might as well all head to Cancun for Christmas, ya know?

Andre Drummond’s OUT next 3 games with ankle sprain

The Philadelphia 76ers can’t seem to catch a break. On Saturday night, big man Andre Drummond suffered a right ankle sprain during the team’s win over the Detroit Pistons. The injury occurred in the first quarter when Drummond made a tip-in and landed awkwardly on Tobias Harris’ foot.

It appears that no matter where Tobias Harris goes, he’ll always hurt the 76ers.

Now, Drummond is set to miss at least the next three games and will be, you guessed it, re-evaluated in a week. In the meantime, the Sixers have a busy schedule, facing the Hornets on Tuesday before back-to-back home games against the Magic on Wednesday and Friday.

Next Man Up: Adem Bona and Guerschon Yabusele

With Drummond out, head coach Nick Nurse leaned on rookie Adem Bona in Detroit, and the young center didn’t disappoint.

Bona logged 20 solid minutes, contributing four points, five rebounds, and three blocks. While his offensive game remains raw, his defensive energy was a bright spot in an otherwise injury-riddled rotation.

Sixers finally get their 4th win of the season against the shorthanded Pistons >>

Guerschon Yabusele also continues to fill in at center, playing 77% of his minutes there this season, per Cleaning the Glass.

The Sixers have relied heavily on Yabusele, evidenced by his career-high 43 minutes in last week’s overtime loss to the Rockets. However, in Saturday’s blowout win, Nurse gave him some rest, keeping him on the bench for the game’s final 17 minutes.

Injury Woes Continue for Philadelphia

The Sixers’ roster has been a revolving door of injuries. While Paul George made his return against Detroit following a left knee bone bruise, Joel Embiid remains out due to left knee injury management and personal reasons.

I’ll get into it later but for the love of god, can the 76ers just come out and give us something concrete on Joel Embiid? Are we really just going to take this game-by-game, slowly killing fans in the process? I can’t go another day let alone for the rest of the regular season wondering if Embiid is going to play every night. Shoot us straight. Stab us in the front. Let us know. This is ridiculous.

Anyways, along Embiid and Drumbo, the 76ers are also dealing with absences from Kyle Lowry (right hip strain), Caleb Martin (upper back soreness), and Reggie Jackson (right knee soreness).

Lowry, Martin, and Jackson participated fully in Monday’s practice in Charlotte and were later listed as probable for Tuesday’s game against the Hornets. But with Embiid unavailable and Drummond shelved, the Sixers’ front court depth remains thin.

Pete Nance is now with the 76ers which had his brother, Larry Nance happy. Unfortunately, Larry Nance doesn’t understand that we are living in the depths of hell in Philly. Hope it doesn’t impact his play for the Cavaliers, who are 18-3, atop of the Eastern Conference standings.

sorry brother. welcome to hell.

— Drew Smith (@drewmsmith) December 3, 2024

Philadelphia 76ers Injury Report vs Charlotte Hornets:

OUT:

• Joel Embiid (C): Left knee injury management/personal reasons. ESPN
• Andre Drummond (C): Right ankle sprain; expected to miss at least the next three games.

PROBABLE:

• Kyle Lowry (G): Right hip strain; fully participated in practice and listed as probable.
• Reggie Jackson (G): Right knee soreness; fully participated in practice and listed as probable.
• Caleb Martin (F): Upper back soreness; fully participated in practice and listed as probable.

There’s no more weathering the storm. Need wins now. Period.

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