Just-in: Joel Embiid is anticipated to miss several games, and the Sixers are expected to play…..

The Philadelphia 76ers have been one of the biggest surprises this season, but their season is in jeopardy of going into the tank. As star big man Joel Embiid will likely miss significant time after being ruled out for Thursday night’s game against the Utah Jazz yesterday evening.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Embiid, who was injured in Tuesday night’s loss to Golden State, will receive further evaluation on his left knee in the next 24 hours. Woj added that Embiid will likely head back to Philadelphia while the team prepares to face the Jazz.

Philadelphia 76ers Rumors: Joel Embiid Expected To Miss Time, Sixers Likely To Severely Short-Handed Against Utah

Embiid sat out the two prior games due to knee soreness before returning against the Warriors. But even with the big fella back in the lineup, things didn’t go as planned and got worse as the game went on. Kyle Neubeck of AllPhily.com said that Embiid was laboring a bit in warmups.

Here is more from Neubeck about how Embiid looked against the Warriors.

You could see the “want to” was there for Embiid on several occasions, with the big man offering timely help at the rim and at least trying to contest shots around the basket on defense. But there was next to no lift for Embiid when he went to defend his basket, neutralizing his value as a rim protector. On one noteworthy play, Embiid loaded up to offer a late challenge at the basket, and then had his legs buckle as he fell to the floor.

It wasn’t much better on the other end of the floor. You could argue that his lack of touch made it look worse than it otherwise should have, but Embiid also showed little ability or desire to get beyond that midrange level, even with small, mismatched players he could have attacked. His long twos were longer than usual, and with opportunities to attack the basket in transition, he appeared to hold back at least a couple of times, tossing soft kick-outs to the corner instead of forcing the Warriors to wrap him up and foul.

Then, with just over four minutes left in the fourth quarter, Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga fell on Embiid’s leg as he dove for a loose ball. Embiid immediately grabbed the knee and was in “visible pain.”