Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: 76ers Rule Out Joel Embiid and LeBron James for Saturday Game in Charlotte

The Philadelphia 76ers will play in Charlotte on Saturday night without the two biggest names on their roster. The team listed Joel Embiid and LeBron James as out for the 6 p.m. ET game against the Hornets at Spectrum Center, resting both stars on the second night of a back to back set.

NBC Sports Philadelphia reported the team's initial afternoon injury report on Saturday. Embiid is out for right foot plantar fascia injury management, and James is out for low back sciatica management. Dominick Barlow, who has a lower back stress reaction, and Ariel Hukporti, who has a right Achilles tendon tear, are also sidelined.

A night of rest after a heavy Friday

Both stars played on Friday night, when Philadelphia beat the visiting New York Knicks 98 to 93 in the NBA Cup opener for both teams. James scored 20 points with nine rebounds and eight assists. NBC Sports Philadelphia called it his best performance so far as a Sixer, one rebound and two assists short of a triple double. PhillyVoice reported that Embiid added 10 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in that game. The win moved the Sixers to 5 and 1.

The rest was expected. Liberty Ballers reported that James and Embiid were always likely to sit the second leg of the back to back, and both players also sat out one leg of the Sixers' first back to back set this season.

The minutes question behind the decision

Embiid has averaged 35.2 minutes a game through five games, NBC Sports Philadelphia reported. That is above his career high of 34.6 minutes a game, set during his 2022-23 MVP season. The seven time All-Star is carrying a heavier load than at any point in his career, and the injury report lists his absence as management of the right foot, not a new injury. James is listed the same way, with his low back and sciatica being managed rather than treated as a fresh problem.

That distinction matters. Neither star is reported to have been hurt on Friday. The team is choosing rest over minutes in October, and it says so plainly on the injury report.

Who steps in for Philadelphia

Three more Sixers are questionable. Jaylen Brown and Jabari Walker each carry a left patellar tendinopathy listing, a knee problem. Brown missed Friday's game against the Knicks, and head coach Nick Nurse had no further update on him, Liberty Ballers reported. Walker could miss a fourth straight game. Tacko Fall is questionable with a left quadriceps injury. The two way center has not yet been available in the preseason or the regular season, but NBC Sports Philadelphia reported he has been nearing a green light to play.

With Embiid out, Nurse has to piece together the center minutes, and Liberty Ballers noted the choice could turn on whether Walker or Fall is cleared. Liberty Ballers reported that Anfernee Simons, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Dean Wade have been excellent off the bench, and Saturday looks like a night built for them and for Tyrese Maxey.

Charlotte is short handed too

The Hornets are 3 and 3, and they are also finishing a back to back. Charlotte lost 95 to 79 at Washington on Friday night. The Hornets listed Kon Knueppel, with a left hamstring strain, Coby White, with a left calf strain, and Grant Williams, with a right hamstring strain, as out for Saturday. None of the three has played this season after preseason injuries, Liberty Ballers reported. Knueppel appears close to a return and has been assigned to Charlotte's G League team to practice.

So Saturday night brings two tired, thin rosters together. Philadelphia has the better record and the deeper bench. Charlotte has home court. Tip is at 6 p.m. ET, with coverage on NBA TV.