Despite ‘probable’ tag, Embiid sits again

PHILADELPHIA » What a difference an hour makes.

The 76ers upgraded Joel Embiid’s playing status ahead of Thursday’s visit from Toronto, qualifying him as probable to play against the Raptors. Shortly after coach Brett Brown’s declaration of Embiid’s upgraded status — 60 minutes after, to be exact — the Sixers ruled out Embiid for the fifth time in their last seven games.

So what changed in such a short window of time? It’s difficult to say.

Brown addressed reporters at 5:15 p.m., unveiling Embiid’s status as probable. The Sixers’ locker room opened to reporters at 5:45, at which time Embiid ducked out and headed to the court for pregame warmups. The center, who has been dealing with back tightness, looked crisp in getting up some shots. He moved about the court fluidly, even dancing to one of the songs booming through Wells Fargo Center’s speakers. By 6:15, the Sixers announced Embiid’s unavailability. Brown’s initial statement had a short shelf life.

“I guess the word we’re using is ‘probable,’” he said before the game. “We’ll go through his warm-up and we’ll figure out what that means. But the word is probable.”

According to Brown, that initial verdict came “from the people involved with (Embiid’s) health and the decision on judging his health.”

When asked for clarification on Embiid’s status after the game, Brown couldn’t offer much.

“He just didn’t feel comfortable,” Brown said. “It felt OK this morning. We went though a shootaround. A half-hour before the game, I learned — we learned — that he just didn’t feel comfortable playing. He wasn’t going to be able to give what he feels would help the team. So we decided to rest him again.”

Embiid has not seen the court since a Dec. 15 triple-overtime loss to Oklahoma City, during which he played a career-high 49 minutes and every second of the three extra sessions. Embiid visibly winced and grabbed at his back at times throughout that game.

For Embiid, injuries are no new development. Two foot surgeries sidelined him in the first two seasons of his pro career. A knee malady limited Embiid’s 201617 campaign to 31 games. And a stress fracture in Embiid’s back truncated his lone season at the University of Kansas, prior to entering the 2014 NBA draft.

The Sixers need to be particularly cautious with Embiid, allowing him to return to the court only when he’s healthy — and not just because they have an upcoming nationally televised game. ESPN reported Tuesday that Embiid would play on Christmas at Madison Square Garden, forecasting that he would sit out both games of a Thursday-Saturday home-and-home series with Toronto.

The first-half of that prediction proved to be accurate.

••• If it was up to Justin Anderson, he’d be playing.

The third-year wing, who has missed 17 consecutive games while dealing with shin splints, wanted to play through the pain.

“But I was educated on why that wasn’t smart and what could happen,” Anderson said. “Ever since then, sitting on the bench has been tough because I know what I bring as far as energy, athleticism, and shooting.”

Anderson has “an idea,” he said, on when he could return to the court for the first time since Nov. 15. The key, he said, has been patience. He has incorporated on-court activity into his workouts in recent days, to build up his cardio capability.

“I just have to keep working with our docs and training staff to make sure we do what’s best for me and my career,” Anderson said. “We’re getting there. We’re inching. We’re close.”

The Sixers, in October, picked up Anderson’s fourth-year contract option for next season. The career 29.4-percent 3-point shooter had been shooting nearly 35 percent from long range before his injury.

J.J. Redick (right hamstring tightness) and Embiid also sat out against Toronto.