Philadelphia 76ers standout center Joel Embiid will be absent from Monday night’s away game versus the Portland Trail Blazers, marking his second consecutive nonappearance due to knee discomfort.

This time, there was uncertainty surrounding Embiid’s availability as he was initially tagged as questionable on the team’s injury report before being officially ruled out on Monday afternoon.

In addition to missing Saturday’s game against the Denver Nuggets, it is noteworthy that he was not included in the injury report prior to the match and was taken off the roster just 20 minutes before the game.

Nuggets coach Michael Malone expressed displeasure over this absence and urged the NBA to look into the matter. This recent absence in Denver marks the fourth consecutive visit in which Embiid did not participate in the game.

Reports have surfaced suggesting that the league intends to scrutinize the team’s management of the Embiid situation.

Sixers coach Nick Nurse disclosed post-Saturday’s game that Embiid expressed a desire to compete, but the medical staff were not convinced by his condition during pregame warmups.

The eleventh-hour withdrawal prevented Embiid, the reigning NBA MVP, from facing off against the Nuggets’ two-time MVP Nikola Jokic. The last game Embiid played against Jokic in Denver dates back to November 8, 2019.

It appears that Embiid aggravated his knee during Thursday’s 134-122 loss on the road against the Indiana Pacers.

Embiid, who achieved a career-high 70 points against the San Antonio Spurs a week ago, currently leads the NBA with an average of 36.0 points per game.

With these two recent absences, Embiid has only participated in 33 of Philadelphia’s 45 games up to the conclusion of Monday night. He must partake in a minimum of 65 games to qualify for postseason NBA accolades.