After a blowout loss against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, there was hope for Joel Embiid’s return to the Philadelphia 76ers later in the week. On Friday, the

76ers head coach Nick Nurse ruled out Embiid, listing the decision as "injury management," on the second night of a back-to-back, per Tim Bontemps . Heading into the game, Embiid was averaging 24.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game. His availability on Tuesday marked Embiid's 14th game of the season.

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid started Tuesday night against the Dallas Mavericks after missing the previous 15 games. The 30-year-old Embiid appeared in just his 14th game of an injury-plagued season.