Joel Embiid out Thursday night in Utah, to have further evaluation of knee

The 76ers are in Utah Thursday, set to take on the Jazz. However, their MVP center Joel Embiid is not with them, he's reportedly back in Philadelphia getting further evaluation on his ailing knee.

The 76ers made it official, listing Embiid as out for Thursday night following the knee injury that forced him to leave the game against the Warriors on Tuesday. This will be Embiid's 13th missed game this season (out of 47 Philly has played) — if that number gets to 18 he becomes ineligible for MVP, All-NBA and other postseason awards under the league's new player participation policy. A policy that’s not popular with players, such as Tyrese Haliburton.

Embiid was set to get an MRI on his knee no later than Wednesday, but the results have not been released, and he needs "further evaluation" back in Philadelphia, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. That's a concerning sign.

The injury occurred a little over four minutes left in the game, Embiid was trying to back down Draymond Green when Jonathan Kuminga doubled him, knocked the ball away, and then both Embiid and Kuminga went to the ground to get the loose ball. There, Kuminga landed on Embiid's knee.

Embiid and the 76ers may have to let go of thoughts of postseason awards to simply focus on the postseason itself — if Philadelphia is going to make a run in an increasingly deep East (New York and Cleveland are playing well), they will need Embiid as close to 100% as he can get. That may mean more time off for the reigning MVP to get right and be rested for the games that matter — the success or failure of the 76ers season will be judged on that postseason run.

For the game in Utah, the 76ers also list De'Anthony Melton (lumbar spine stress response) and Robert Covington (left knee bone bruise) as out. Tyrese Maxey, who missed the game in Golden State with a sprained ankle, is listed as questionable, as is Nicolas Batum (left hamstring injury).