Is Joel Embiid playing tonight vs Hawks? Philadelphia 76ers team news

NBA's Eastern Conference will next feature a match between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Atlanta Hawks. The match will take place at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The NBA game will begin at 7:00 PM local time on Wednesday, April 28 (Thursday, April 29 at 4:30 AM IST).

With 40 victories and 21 losses, the Sixers are currently in second place in the Eastern Conference standings. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Hawks are in fifth place, having won 34 and lost 28 games. With the Sixers looking to regain the lead in the Eastern Conference standings, it raises the questions: 'Is Joel Embiid playing tonight' against the Atlanta Hawks or 'When is Joel Embiid coming back?

Is Joel Embiid playing tonight? When is Joel Embiid coming back?

The injury woes continue for the Philadelphia 76ers as first Ben Simmons was sidelined due to illness and now Joel Embiid is reported to have an ongoing shoulder problem. The Cameroon international played 23 minutes against Oklahoma City (OKC) Thunder but was taken off shortly after. Embiid's involvement was critical in The Sixers' success as he scored 21 points.

As per the latest Joel Embiid injury update, the Philadelphia 76ers superstar is dealing with a variety of ailments and is suffering from right shoulder soreness. Despite featuring against the OKC Thunder Embiid did not look right. He was seen grabbing his right shoulder as though it was really bothering him. The Sixers will need their talisman to be at his absolute best going into the playoffs that begin on May 22.

Joel Embiid injury: Will Joel Embiid return against Atlanta Hawks?

A Joel Embiid return to the starting line-up against the Atlanta Hawks is unexpected if one were to infer what coach Doc River's had to say before the match. "I’ve learned long ago until someone tells me, one of the trainers, I’ve gotten out of that guessing game if you know what I mean. It’s our trainers and our medical people’s job to tell me hey, get him out or he shouldn’t play," said Rivers.

He added, "I literally don’t get involved in it. I think it’s a bad place for coaches to be because we would tell them to play all the time. I think is a lot smarter to allow people with far better knowledge than me to tell me he’s good, he can play, keep going. It’s made it easier for me as well." Even if Embiid were to play he is only expected to feature for limited game time.

Philadelphia 76ers expected starting line-up: Seth Curry, Furkan Korkmaz, Danny Green, Mike Scott, Ben Simmons