Joel Embiid to miss 76ers’ game against Celtics with right knee injury

Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid has been ruled out for the team’s nationally televised game against the Boston Celtics due to right knee soreness, the Sixers announced Tuesday afternoon.

The knee that is causing him soreness is not the knee he has had major issues with for the better part of the last two years.

Embiid last played on Saturday night against the Toronto Raptors, scoring 29 points in 26 minutes in a 130-120 Philadelphia win. He did not play Sunday night against the Detroit Pistons, sitting out the second game of a back-to-back set as part of his regular injury management. Tuesday night’s game, which will air on NBC, will be the first one he will miss this season that is not a scheduled absence. Embiid has been playing under a minutes restriction all season that started at 20 minutes, but has increased to 25 minutes as of late.

Embiid has played well so far this season, particularly offensively, averaging 19.7 points in 23.3 minutes per game.

Without him on Sunday night, the Sixers started veteran Andre Drummond and brought second-year big man Adem Bona off the bench. Drummond had 17 points and 12 rebounds in the defeat to Detroit, which means he could once again earn the starting nod.

Without Embiid, star guard Tyrese Maxey will again handle a major share of the offensive responsibility. Maxey currently leads the NBA in minutes played and is among the league leaders in usage rate. The Sixers are still waiting for star forward Paul George to make his first appearance of the season after he underwent offseason knee surgery.

This will be the third time the 76ers and the Celtics meet this season. The teams have split the first two matchups.