Suspension Pushes Joel Embiid Debut to Knicks Game

A super Tuesday awaits the New York Knicks a week after Election Day.

Per Shams Charania of ESPN, Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid will make his 2024-25 season debut against the Knicks next Tuesday, Nov. 12, after serving his three-game suspension for shoving a columnist during postgame activities following a Saturday game against Memphis.

The 2023 NBA MVP has not played this season due to a knee injury that stems from last season. Embiid confronted the columnist in question after the latter penned a post critiquing his lack of participation that invoked both his son and late brother. The suspension will cover the end of the 76ers’ ongoing Western swing (they’ll face both Los Angeles teams on Wednesday and Friday) as well as a Sunday night tilt against the Charlotte Hornets.

With Embiid out, the 76ers (1-5) have struggled out of the gate. Entering the NBA’s Election Day sabbatical, Philadelphia a half-game out of last place on the extraordinarily early Eastern Conference leaderboard ahead of only fellow tumbling contender Milwaukee.

Embiid’s entry adds yet another storyline to the divisional showdown between the Knicks and Sixers: Tuesday, for example, will mark the first meeting between the two sides since their six-game battle in the opening round of last spring’s Eastern Conference playoffs, one where Embiid has an infamous role.

Of note, a Game 3 encounter with Mitchell Robinson, one where a seated Embiid grabbed at the center’s ankles as he put up a shot. Robinson, who already missed 50 regular season games with similar ailments, wound up playing only three more games after and is not projected to be back until the new calendar year.

The Knicks and 76ers’ divisional tilt is also the headliner of the 2024 NBA Cup’s opening night of group play. New York reached the knockout stage as the Eastern wild card in the inaugural edition last year and will also face Brooklyn, Charlotte, and Orlando in group play.

Before facing Embiid in Philadelphia, the Knicks (3-3) conclude a four-game road trip in Atlanta on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG) before briefly heading home to host the aforementioned Milwaukee Bucks on Friday.

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