The Philadelphia 76ers just aren’t the same team without reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid.
All they can do is continue to compete and hope that Embiid is healthy enough to join them for a long playoff run.
The team announced that Embiid underwent successful surgery Tuesday on the lateral meniscus in his left knee. Embiid will be re-evaluated in about four weeks.
The Sixers are 4-11 without Embiid this season, including a 118-102 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Monday.
Philadelphia, which has lost six of its past seven games — including two in a row — will look to return to the win column when it hosts the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night.
Embiid is the latest 76er to be sidelined, along with De’Anthony Melton, Nicolas Batum and Robert Covington.
76ers All-Star Tyrese Maxey faced double-teams for long stretches and managed only 15 points on 6-of-16 shooting from the field.
The Warriors will arrive in Philadelphia in search of their second win in a row and their fourth victory in the last five games.
Golden State received 29 points from Stephen Curry and 28 points and 10 rebounds from Jonathan Kuminga in a 109-98 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday.
Kuminga has scored at least 20 points nine times in the last 10 games.
Curry made four 3-pointers and was the only player to convert in that category vs. the Nets. The Warriors went only 4-for-22 from 3-point range in what was a choppy win.
Draymond Green stabilized the Warriors with eight points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
But Klay Thompson struggled again and missed all three of his 3-point attempts. Coach Steve Kerr had Thompson on the bench for the second time in three games in the waning minutes.
