Joel Embiid: Expected to face limit of 24 minutes Tuesday

The 76ers have been managing Embiid’s playing time carefully since the start of the preseason, with the center’s 22 minutes in last Wednesday’s season opener against the Thunder marking his highest total to date. It’s likely Embiid will approach or slightly exceed that level of playing time Tuesday, and his minutes should continue to rise gradually as the season unfolds. The Sixers’ exact plans with the prized young center aren’t fully known, but given that he missed the first two full seasons of his professional career due to injury, it’s possible they could act cautiously with him throughout the campaign. The team has already ruled out Embiid for the second half of their back-to-back set Wednesday against the Hornets for maintenance reasons, as he won’t even travel with the 76ers to Charlotte.