Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, sidelined with a sore back, could miss two more games this week but is expected to return for the Christmas Day meeting with New York, league sources told ESPN.
Despite the likelihood of resting his back for the rest of the week, there's optimism that Embiid will be fit to return for the Sixers' game against the Knicks on Monday, league sources said.
Embiid, 23, sat out back-to-back losses to Chicago and Sacramento in recent days. The Sixers have lost seven of eight games, dropping to 14-16 on the season.