Missing Boban Marjanovic, Joel Embiid makes Sixers’ matchup against Oklahoma City Thunder a tall order

NEW ORLEANS — An already tough task now on paper looks dubious.

The 76ers will face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night without their two-time All-Star center Joel Embiid and his backup, Boban Marjanovic. Both players are nursing knee injuries.

The contest will mark the fourth consecutive games Embiid will miss because of tendinitis in his left knee. Marjanovic suffered a right knee bone bruise and mild sprain late in Monday’s 111-110 victory over New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center, His injuries were revealed Tuesday in an MRI and confirmed in a CAT scan. He will be reevaluated in five to seven days, meaning he will also miss at least Saturday’s home game against the Golden State Warriors.

Meanwhile, reserve Furkan Korkmaz had surgery to address the mensical tear in his right knee at the Hospital for Special Surgery and Professor of Surgery in Clinical Orthopedics at the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. He will be reevaluated in four weeks. He was hurt Feb. 12 against Boston.

Without their best post players, the Sixers (39-22) look to be at a huge disadvantage at Chesapeake Energy Arena against a Thunder squad that has won the last 19 meetings.

Sixers coach Brett Brown tried to be positive Tuesday when asked about facing OKC without his top two centers.

“That’s where Amir [Johnson] comes in,” Brown said of the seldom-used, 14-year veteran. “That’s where Amir will have a significant opportunity.”

Johnson and Jonah Bolden, the other center who has gotten minutes, could have a tough time pairing up against Thunder starter Steven Adams. OKC backup center Nerlens Noel, a former Sixer, is also solid in his role as a rim-protecting energy guy.

It was thought that Embiid, who’s back in Philadelphia, would return against the Thunder. However, Brown said Tuesday that it was “kind of always planned” that Embiid would miss this game The Sixers last week said they would reevaluate Embiid before he returns to the action. That has yet to happen, but is expected in the coming days.

Right now, he’s receiving treatment and going through physical therapy on his knee.

Embiid “is doing great work, just putting in time, getting his body strong,” Brown said, “and I think we’ll look back at this at like sort of what we did with like JJ [Redick].”

Redick missed two consecutive games -- Feb. 2 at the Sacramento Kings and Feb. 5 at home against the Toronto Raptors. -- but, unlike Embiid and Marjanovic, the first absence was due to rest and the second was because he was sick. He finished with 34 points in his first game back.

Marjanovic’s knee injury isn’t as bad as it looked when it occurred. The 30-year-old was hurt on a defensive play with a little more than a minute left in Monday’s win at New Orleans. His leg twisted as he got tangled up with Pelicans reserve forward Cheick Diallo while the two scrambled for the ball in the paint. Marjanovic was in noticeable pain after falling to the court, even pounding his hand on the hardwood. He had to be helped to the locker room and left the arena on crutches.

“You still don’t know,” Brown said of Marjanovic’s status. “The new information could reveal something, but [after] the initial sort of examination, there’s a sigh of relief, given what my gut feel was.”

Marjanovic was playing well before the injury. He had 12 points on 6-for-8 shooting, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots in 13 minutes, 4 seconds. It was his second double-double in three games.

The Sixers acquired Marjanovic with Tobias Harris and Mike Scott from the Los Angeles Clippers before the Feb. 7 deadline.