The injury report remains one of the Sixers’ biggest foes

Philadelphia — Nick Nurse couldn't help but tap into his sense of humor as he fielded questions ahead of Tuesday's game against the Orlando Magic.

"Alright, ready?" Nurse said with a chuckle and smile as soon as a reporter began asking the first question of the night.

It induced a slight laugh from the rest of the media room.

Anything to air out the whiff of tension.

Joel Embiid was upgraded to 'questionable' for Tuesday's game on the 5:30 p.m., Eastern time, injury report on Monday evening.

That, by itself, has historically been a strong indicator that he'll play.

Embiid was visible at Tuesday morning shootaround, taking jumpers in a blue practice jersey.

Some have suggested that the color of a Sixer's practice jersey can be an indicator of game status. The ostensible starters for the upcoming game often wear blue. Everyone else on the roster wears white.

It's not a fool-proof system, but it's something to cling to at times of uncertainty in Sixer world.

When Embiid was downgraded to 'out' at 12:30 p.m., Eastern time, on Tuesday — his seventh consecutive absence related to a sore right knee — it was yet another tease that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

"He's just not quite there yet," Nurse explained.

Embiid participated fully in practice on Monday. He participated in "parts of" Tuesday's shootaround.

The Sixers have never indicated that Embiid has been anything less than a full participant in practices over these two weeks.

That, by itself, is where the messaging raises eyebrows. How is the guy a full participant at practice but not available for games for two weeks? How is he a full participant at practice but a partial participant at shootaround? What are you doing at practice that allows him to fully participate but not suit up for actual games?

Nurse does not believe there's swelling in Embiid's right knee.

The left knee — the one that has troubled Embiid more in recent years — hasn't even been a topic of discussion.

Nurse insisted that there was a chance Embiid would be ready for Tuesday's matchup, that that was the explanation for the downgrade in game status earlier in the day.

"It was trending toward he was going to play," Nurse offered.

Paul George

George reported soreness in his right ankle after Sunday's loss to the Miami Heat. He was listed as 'probable' at 5:30 on Monday and then downgraded to 'out' at 12:30 on Tuesday.

"Has not been in anything since then," Nurse told reporters.

It sounds like the only course of action at this time is to continue following up with George to see how the ankle is. He's officially listed as having a sprained right ankle.

Nurse wasn't ready to express concern about George missing time as of Tuesday evening. "We're not there yet. I think we're in the process of checking to see what exactly is wrong and what the extent of it is. We'll give you that when we got it," he said.

VJ Edgecombe

It would practically be naive to not think of the achilles when you hear an athlete has a calf injury. Edgecombe has now missed two consecutive games with what the Sixers are calling "left calf tightness".

It's not exactly shocking. A rookie ranking third in the league in minutes per game, trying to adjust to the will-testing grind of back-to-backs, now has a lower-body injury.

The team is proceeding with caution. Philadelphia is aware of the ramifications of calf injuries.

"They're also telling me there's really nothing there on the imaging. It's a calf strain. He is also improving, as well. So, we'll see," Nurse said.

Anyone know if there's a difference between a tight calf and a strained calf?

Tyrese Maxey

There are times when you can afford to take a more lax approach with upper-body injuries.

Maxey sprained his right shoulder early in Sunday's loss to the Heat. He was 'probable' as of 5:30 on Monday and deemed 'available' by 12:30 on Tuesday.

His workload exceeds Edgecombe's, both in usage and minutes. Yet there is no talk of the mounting injuries frightening Philadelphia into lightening Maxey's responsibilities.

"I think that, again, these things are kind of piling up a little bit. I do think that you're always hoping you're going to get some more additions here," Nurse told reporters on Tuesday evening.

Perhaps offering a slight hint of optimism that this storm is coming to an end soon, Nurse stated that he would be really surprised if the mountain of ailments didn't shrink by Friday's game in Brooklyn. 

He is going to let the game situation dictate how much is required of Maxey.

"Like, in the moments tonight, would I scale him back a lot tonight? I think we're always trying to get him a few minutes here and there, a little bit more. Just see if it presents itself," Nurse explained.

The reality is that Nurse cannot afford to scale Maxey back at a time when a handful of rotation players are out.

He won't consider punting games while the team is more than competitive in late November. Not after last season's disaster.

"So I think it makes it tough here for a little bit. But I think it lends itself to cutting back a little bit more when a few of these guys filter back in."

Nurse isn't concerned about re-opening the wounds of last season's misery.

Through his eyes, things have changed for the better. The team is younger. the team is faster. They've done enough to give themselves a chance on most nights when Maxey's star partners are unavailable.

While some things change, others stay the same.