When reigning Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid is out of the lineup, the Philadelphia 76ers are quite vulnerable.
And winless.
The Sixers, who are 0-4 without Embiid this season, will again be without their leader when they visit the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.
Embiid missed Monday’s Christmas Day matchup against the Miami Heat and will again be sidelined with a sprained right ankle.
Embiid sustained the injury in the first quarter of Friday’s 121-111 victory over the Toronto Raptors.
Embiid has produced at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in 13 straight games, the longest such streak since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 16-game run in the 1971-72 season.
The Sixers will also be without Nicolas Batum because of a strained right hamstring.
With Embiid recuperating, Tyrese Maxey struggled in a 119-113 loss to the host Heat on Monday.
Maxey shot 4 of 20 from the field — 1 of 8 from 3-point range — and finished with 12 points.
The Magic, on the other hand, will be looking for their third consecutive victory when they play the back end of a back-to-back.
Orlando placed seven scorers in double figures as it defeated the Washington Wizards 127-119 on Tuesday.
Franz Wagner led the Magic with 28 points, nine assists and eight rebounds — all team highs — while Paolo Banchero added 24 points and rookie Anthony Black had a career-best 23.
The surprising Magic improved to 18-11 following the win as their young players continue to improve faster than expected.
Jalen Suggs returned from a two-game absence because of a sprained left wrist to produce 11 points for the Magic on Tuesday.
But Orlando was missing Jonathan Isaac (hamstring) and Joe Ingles (ankle). It’s unclear if either Isaac or Ingles will be available to face the Sixers, and both are listed as questionable.
Having Suggs back was a major boost, though, especially on the defensive end.
