Sixers’ Joel Embiid will return against Rockets after extended absence for sore left knee

Joel Embiid will return to action for the Sixers for Monday afternoon’s game against the Houston Rockets, after missing the past three games with knee inflammation.

Embiid had been listed as questionable entering the game, with his status to be determined following his pregame shooting routine. He was a full participant in Sunday’s practice, and went through extra on-court work and conditioning sprints following the team session.

Following the matchup against the Rockets, the Sixers will play a marquee showdown against the Denver Nuggets and two-time MVP Nikola Jokic on Tuesday night. When asked during his pregame news conference about Embiid’s availability for that game on the second night of a back-to-back, coach Nick Nurse said he will address that topic following Monday’s game.

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Embiid entered Monday leading the NBA in scoring (34.6 points per game) while also adding 11.8 rebounds, a career-best six assists and two blocks per game. He is permitted to miss eight more games before he is disqualified from repeating as MVP, because of a new NBA rule that requires players to log at least 20 minutes in 65 games to be eligible for end-of-season accolades.

Nurse also elaborated on the status of starting guard De’Anthony Melton, who is again sidelined with a back issue that kept him out of three consecutive games earlier this month. The coach said Melton is expected to be out for at least a week, saying more extended rest and treatment should yield a better long-term outlook than just getting him healthy enough to play.

”He wasn’t quite as effective or mobile as we’d like, and we think it’s something we can fix for a little bit better, longer-term return,” Nurse said. " ... He could be out there [and] wouldn’t probably hurt it any more. But they think they can fix it to where he can get back to 100%, and longer-term we think that’s the smart thing to do.”

Melton is one of the NBA’s more disruptive perimeter defenders, entering Monday ranked fifth in the league in deflections (3.2 per game) and eighth in steals (1.6 per game). He is also averaging a career-high 11.8 points per game, along with four rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.

Kelly Oubre Jr., who returned from a one-game absence with toe soreness, will start in place of Melton.

Reserve guard Jaden Springer (right ankle tendonitis) and reserve center Mo Bamba (knee impingement) are both out against the Rockets.