The following storylines were ones that emerged from the Sixers’ morning shootaround on Monday, February 22nd. They play the Golden State Warriors at The Center at 7:00 PM EST.



• Monday morning, the Sixers provided a series of medical updates on several injured players. Here’s a look at the latest information from the official press release:

JOEL EMBIID: Embiid presented with swelling and soreness in his left knee following training progression in recent days. Based on this new information, Embiid will now be listed as out indefinitely. He is scheduled to undergo an MRI this afternoon to further assess his status.

BEN SIMMONS: This morning Simmons underwent a minor procedure during which bone marrow was injected into the affected fracture site in order to stimulate bone growth and accelerate healing. He is likely to resume normal training by the end of the week.

JERRYD BAYLESS: Bayless is now three months removed from left wrist surgery, during which time the site has been immobilized. He is scheduled to have his cast removed next week, at which point he will begin targeted wrist therapy and rehabilitation.

TIAGO SPLITTER: Splitter remains out indefinitely while he receives treatment related to his right calf strain.

• In light of Monday’s news about Joel Embiid, the Sixers plan to keep on keepin’ on, which has been the case now for the better part of the past four weeks.

“It just means that we’re going to be without one of our key players, and other guys got to step up,” Robert Covington said Monday. “Joel’s a big key to this team, but other guys have stepped up in his place. We just got to continue to move forward.”

Embiid has played just once since originally hurting his left knee on January 20th. Since then, the Sixers have won seven times in 16 games without their leading scorer, rebounder, and shot-blocker. Four of those victories have come in the Sixers’ last six outings.

“We’ve grown a lot as a team overall,” said Covington, discussing how the Sixers have responded in Embiid’s absence. “We’ve done a lot of work on the court, and we’re just buying into what our coaches have put in front of us. Our offense, defensive principles, everybody has been doing a great job with that, and we’ve all been just buying into it.”

• With Joel Embiid sidelined indefinitely, it appears as if Jahlil Okafor will be in line to handle the bulk of the Sixers’ primary center duties going forward.

His last time out, in Saturday’s narrow loss to the New York Knicks, Okafor turned in one of his top performances of the year, racking up a season-best 28 points (11-19 fg, 6-6 ft) to go along with 10 rebounds. The double-double was his second of the season, and 13th of his two-year career.

“For me, it doesn’t change,” Okafor said Monday, when asked how the Embiid injury news will affect his own approach to the rest of the season. “I’m just trying to do the best I can for my teammates, and for myself. My mindset’s still the same.”

Okafor has gotten the starting nod in each of the Sixers’ first two games back from the All-Star break. Monday, he sounded eager to take on the club’s next opponent, the NBA-leading Golden State Warriors, which have already secured a post-season berth.

“Just as a competitor, I’m expecting to have a lot of fun on the court playing the best team in our league,” said Okafor. “We’ll have our hands full. They have four All-Stars, and I’m excited about it, so our my teammates. I’m sure The Center will be jumping. Our fans will be there, and there will be a lot of energy.”

• Should projected starting line-ups hold for Monday’s game, especially if Kevin Durant (left hand contusion) is cleared to play after sitting out Golden State’s win over Brooklyn on Saturday, the Sixers will have their hands full dealing with a stacked Warriors’ line-up that features four All-Stars from 2017.

In their own words, here are some thoughts from members of the Sixers’ starting five about their counterparts from the two-time defending Western Conference champions.

T.J. McConnell on Steph Curry (24.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 6.4 apg, 231 3fgm)

“You’re not going to stop running, that’s for sure. Once he steps over halfcourt, he’s in range to shoot. He’s one of the best players in the league, if not the best player. When a guy steps over halfcourt and he’s in shooting range, there’s not a lot you can do in that aspect.”

Robert Covington on Kevin Durant (25.7 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 4.9 apg, 53.9 fg%)

“Very versatile. He does a lot for that team. His skill set, without a doubt, is one of the best in the league. I face the best players each and every night. It’s just another opportunity for me to go out and prove myself.”

Dario Saric on Draymond Green (10.0 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 7.1 ast, 2.1 stl, 1.5 blk)

“Of course, he is the one. He’s All-Star, how many times, maybe two now. He’s the guy who is like every game if I can say border of triple-double. That means he’s a very good team player. What everybody know, he like tough guy, he want to win, he tries to push himself. I will against him, I will try to do my best, I will try to fight with him, I will not let him to beat me very easy. Of course, my goal is to stop him, but I think it’s most important I will be happy if Draymond scores 50, and we win the game.”