Sixers center Joel Embiid is going to miss games. The key is getting him to the playoffs healthy.

Joel Embiid has been known to play through tremendous pain.

There are times when the 76ers center steps around opponents, draws contact, and scores. But oftentimes after landing oddly, Embiid immediately glances to the floor.

The crowd catches its collective breath, hoping that another injury has not occurred.

To the crowd’s relief, the big fella picks himself up — or with the help of teammates — grimaces, heads to the foul line, and begins shooting, usually making the free throw. Then the reigning MVP limps back to the other end of the court to play defense.

If he’s fortunate, Embiid carries on as if nothing has happened. But Embiid, in his eighth NBA season, has not been as fortunate as he and the team would like.

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Embiid returned Tuesday in the 110-97 victory over the Chicago Bulls at the Wells Fargo Center after being sidelined for four games with a sprained right ankle. He secured his second triple-double of the season and seventh in his career with his 10th assist with 55.9 seconds left in the third quarter. Embiid finished with game highs of 31 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists in 31 minutes, 27 seconds. The 29-year-old sat out the fourth quarter for the 10th time this season.

This season, the six-time All-Star has missed seven of the Sixers’ 33 games because of injuries, illness, and rest.

But Embiid’s missed time because of injuries is something the center, the Sixers, and the fans just have to live with. Being sidelined for an extended amount of time has been an annual tradition since he was selected third in the 2014 draft.

Foot surgeries completely wiped out his first two seasons. When Embiid returned for Season 3 (2016-17), he missed 51 games because of season-ending knee surgery. He was sidelined for an average of 18.3 games over the next six seasons.

Embiid’s only somewhat healthy postseason came in 2020, in the Orlando bubble, when the Sixers were swept in the first round by the Boston Celtics. Even then, he dealt with a sprained left ankle and an injured right hand.

He might suffer fewer injuries these days, but they won’t completely go away.

The biggest key for the Sixers this season is trying to keep him 100% healthy for the playoff run, when he often suffers nagging ailments or freak injuries.

The silver lining of him being sidelined for four games was that the team got to play without him. Players took on different roles. In the short run, playing without him is never good. But in the long run, the road trip, in which the Sixers split their four games, will pay off.

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They learned how to win without Embiid, taking two of the last three games. The Sixers had been 0-3 without him before the trip began.

According to the new collective bargaining agreement, players are required to participate in a minimum of 65 games to be eligible for the NBA’s regular-season awards — including the MVP. As a result, Embiid can miss only 10 of the Sixers’ remaining games to be eligible to win his second straight MVP.

Embiid said he’s not worried about being ruled ineligible for failure to reach the benchmark.

“I just want to play as many games as possible,” he said. “It’s unfortunate that I missed the past four games, but can’t control it. If I’m healthy, I said at the beginning of the season, my goal was, I knew that wasn’t going to happen anyways, but my goal was to try to play 82 games and every single game.

“Sometimes it’s just not possible. Sometimes stuff happens. Sometimes these guys want you to take a break. Any chance that I get that I’m healthy, I’m always going to be out there.”

But winning awards is more important to Embiid than he’ll let on. With that, he’ll do everything in his power to play in the necessary amount of games.

But his playing style — being active on both ends of the court — for someone with his 7-foot-2, 280-pound frame makes it hard to stay healthy for an entire season.

All the awkward landings and diving on the floor are harder for big men because there’s a lot more pressure on their knees, ankles, and backs. His body isn’t built to endure the rigors of the NBA the way like players who stand a foot smaller than him.

Embiid is also extremely athletic for his size whereas Denver Nuggets 7-foot center Nikola Jokić plays below the rim. That has enabled the two-time MVP and Embiid’s on-court rival to stave off injury.

The Sixers’ franchise player does have to be more cautious in games. One positive is that Embiid hasn’t fallen as much this season as he has in the past.

He can also pick his spots when making potentially dangerous plays. But he has done a good job this season of staying healthy and staying out of harm’s way.

Embiid missed the Sixers’ loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center on Nov. 22 with left hip soreness. Then an illness sidelined him in road losses to the New Orleans Pelicans on Nov. 29 and the Boston Celtics on Dec. 1.

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Sprained ankles are going to happen in basketball. That’s not something that will sideline him for weeks.

The Sixers (23-10) sat Embiid during their recent road trip against the Miami Heat (Christmas), Orlando Magic (Wednesday), Houston Rockets (Friday), and the Bulls (Saturday).

Sixers coach Nick Nurse said during the road trip that Embiid received treatment and did on-court work at the team’s practice facility in Camden. Nurse even said on Thursday the hope was that Embiid would play Tuesday against the Bulls.

The Sixers wanted to make sure he was 100% when he returned. If it was a playoff series, Embiid probably would have played … or so one would have assumed.

But …

“For this one, I really couldn’t do anything,” Embiid said. “Really up until the last two or three days, that was when I was able to put some weight on my feet. So yesterday, I was able to get on the floor and try to see how it feels, and it felt pretty good, and that’s why we decided to play [Tuesday].”

The playoffs, however, are when the Sixers will need him the most.

Right now, he’s going to get injured. Embiid may need a few more days of rest during the season. But that has always been his story and a part of his legacy.